Friends Without Benefits
by Girls.Named.Sydney.Problems
Summary: AU: Aria and Ezra are best friends. Aria is entering High School and Ezra is an upperclassman. They've been best friends since they met on the playground as children. They've always been just friends, but is that what they really want? I own nothing.
1. Friends First

**Here is chapter one of another story I have been working on.**

**Aria's POV:**

Ezra Fitz has been my next door neighbor and friend since the day I came home from the hospital. Even though he is three years older than me, he doesn't look down on me. If anything, he looks up to me. He's always saying how much I inspire him. Personally, I think it's a load of bull because I'm just me, but c'est la vie. He's my best friend and I love him to death.

Tomorrow is going to be my first day of high school and was over at his house getting ready.

"So are you excited?" he asked me while taking a quick break from reading The Realm Of Possibility by David Levithan.

I look up from Pandaemonium (the second book in a trilogy by Lauren Oliver) and smiled at him. His messy curly hair was falling over his ice blue eyes. "Yes, but I am a little worried about getting lost," I confessed.

He tossed a pillow at me and laughed. "Don't be ridiculous! I'll be there for you every step of the way."

I dropped my book and go crawl over to sit next to him. "But what about Jackie?" I asked tentatively. Jackie is his girlfriend of 6 months. She has never liked me. Actually, most girls don't like me. Some of it has to do with my naturally introverted tendencies. Most of it had to do with the fact that I was the most important girl in the world to the most popular guy in school.

It wasn't lost on me that Ezra was a catch and if I wanted him I could have him. Between the floppy curls and ice blue eyes, he was sexy as hell. Then added on top he was a bookworm with a perfect average AND captain of the lacrosse team. He was the perfect guy.

To me, he was just Ezra. The first guy I ever kissed (that's a whole other story), the first guy to ever see me cry, the guy who cried in The Notebook, and recites Romeo and Juliet to me whenever we watch it together. He was Ezra. Nothing more and nothing less.

"What about her?" he taunted.

"Oh come on Ez. It's no secret she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," he says sitting up. "She just doesn't... appreciate how much time we spend together," he joked.

I punched his arm and glared at him.

"Okay, okay. I'll talk to her and make sure she and her minions don't give you a hard time."

"God! Why do you date her? She's horrible!" I exclaim as I flop on his rock hard stomach.

"She's not that bad. You just have to get to know her."

"Yeah. Okay. I'm sure little-miss-ice-queen has a warm heart."

Ezra glared at me, telling me I'd gone to far. "I'm sorry Ez. I just want you to be happy," I explain.

"It's okay, love."

I smile and thank him for talking to Jackie. It's getting pretty late and although my parents wouldn't object to me sleeping over, I needed to get home. It may seem strange that my parents would let me sleep over at a guy's house when I'm only 15, especially when that guy is about to turn 18, but they trust him and me together. As if we would ever do anything!

I kissed his cheek and said goodnight to his mother as I made my way home next door.

**Ezra's POV:**

Aria kissed my cheek and headed home. I rolled over and looked at the picture of us from last fourth of July. We had snuck away from the lame block party with Jackie and Hardy to watch fireworks. I snuck a bottle of vodka and by the time the first spark hit the sky, we were drunkenly laughing. I wrapped my arms around Aria from behind and kissed her cheek. Unbeknownst to me, Hardy snapped a picture. He gave it to me later that summer as a present. He also warned me about being so affectionate with Aria in front of Jackie. Now the picture is on my nightstand as a reminder to count my blessings every damn minute that Aria even gave me the time of day.

I know Jackie (and most of the girls in Rosewood) didn't like Aria and that worried me. She was wonderful and no one gave her a chance. I know it's because they are jealous of her relationship with me. Damn girls.

We always got crap about our relationship. People jut didn't understand we were strictly platonic. Yeah, so we hold hands and I kiss her cheek and we sleep in the same bed occasionally. So what? She is my best friend. I would never go there with her.

**Aria's POV:**

I woke up bright an early to get ready for my first day of high school. I sprinted to the bathroom and plugged in my curling iron and started to pull out my makeup. While the iron heated, I lined my eyes in charcoal and finished them of with a touch of mascara. My cheeks had the slightest hint of rose and my lips shined with clear glitter gloss.

I quickly added wave to my hair. And sprayed it with extra-hold hairspray. As I did so my mind floated to the idea of heading to school. I was a stressful situation, even with Ezra at my side. What if more people than I thought hated me?

I pushed the bad thoughts from my mind, determined to stop. This would be a good year. I opened my closet and pulled out my black bandage skirt, my red ruffle top, my lace tights, my black leather jacket, and my black leather riding boots. After I was dressed I added silver layered necklaces and silver teardrop earrings.

I took one look in the mirror and approved. I grabbed my silver backpack and ran over to Ezra's.

**Ezra's POV:**

Today was the first day of school and I was dead tired. I'd been up all night worrying about Aria. I just didn't understand how anyone could hate her, especially Jackie. I'd decided last night to break things off with her. I couldn't date anyone who felt threatened by Aria or didn't love her. I really couldn't be with someone who tortured her and turned everyone against her. I mentally hit myself for perpetuating this relationship so long.

After quickly getting dressed in my "The Pretty Reckless" shirt and a pair of cargo shorts I was ready to go. I grabbed my north face backpack and headed downstairs. I heard a ring at the door and my heart warmed to know Aria was here.

I flung open the door and embraced her in a big bear hug that I knew made her feel safe.

"Ezra, you're suffocating me..." she joked.

I released her and pecked her cheek. "Ready to go?" I asked her.

She nervously nodded and said, "As I'll ever be. Just nervous."

"You have nothing to be nervous about. Also, I have some news."

"Intrigue and suspense. What's going on?" she asked curiously.

"I, Ezra Fitz, will be ending it with Jackie AKA little-miss-ice-queen later today."

Her jaw dropped and she stood there frozen. "What happened to having to get to know her?" she asked.

"You are the most important girl in my life Aria Lucille Montgomery and if my girlfriend can't handle that, then she's gone."

Aria teared up a little and hugged me. "Thanks a lot! Now my make up is ruined," she joked.

"Come on young grasshopper. You're about to start your first day of high school with someone who just happens to know all the good shortcuts. Let's go," I said as I grabbed her hand and held it to my lips to kiss.

**Aria's POV:**

"Come on young grasshopper. You're about to start your first day of high school with someone who just happens to know all the good shortcuts. Let's go," Ezra said as he grabbed my hand and held it to his lips to kiss.

I giggled at his over-the-top chivalry and dragged him the rest of the way to school.


	2. Just A Kiss, Nothing More

**Aria's POV:**

School was horrible. I entered with Ezra's arm securely fastened around my waist, which just added insult to injury for the girls of the school. I swear they have eyes in the back of their heads because by lunch basically every movement Ezra made in throwing distance of me had been reported and thoroughly analyzed to see if we were together.

I was in the girls restroom and the entire stall was covered in a toilet talk conversation about me and Ezra. Apparently he was taking pity on me because I had cancer. I also got pregnant over the summer and had an abortion. He began dating Jackie so he wouldn't have to be responsible for me. Girls seriously have an overactive imagination.

I walked out of the restroom to see Ezra talking to Jackie across the hall. I know he said he was going to break up with her, but I am surprised he did it so publicly. I could hear her angrily asking why he would break up with her so abruptly.

"Z, baby, where is this coming from?" she asked. Ezra looked pretty bored with the whole situation which made me laugh. Unfortunately they both heard me and turned to see me. Suddenly, Jackie got this scary look in her eye. One of misled understanding.

"Are you breaking up with me for _her_?" she asked incredulously.

Ezra just laughed and, honestly, so did I. The idea of the two of us was hilarious! We were strictly platonic and, for some reason, _no one _ wanted to accept that.

"Jackie, listen carefully. I am not breaking up with you to date Aria. I've told you a thousand times that we are just friends and you don't want to accept it. She is, however, the reason for this break-up. I cannot date someone who tortures Aria. I am embarrassed it took me so long to realize what a conniving bitch you are."

Jackie's jaw dropped, as did mine, as Ezra walked away from her. He grabbed my hand and dragged me to study hall.

"Ezra!" I scolded.

"What?!" he asked me, confused.

"It is one thing to break up with Jackie, but it is another to do it publicly and to tell her it is because she hates me! That is just going to make her hate me more!" I yelled.

"Aria, I totally wasn't thinking! You're right…" he said dejectedly.

"It's okay, let's just try to keep ourselves on the DL for a few days. I still love you!" I said, giving him a hug. He hugged me back and we continued to study hall.

My classes were fine enough. I had the 4 core classes (AP English Lit., AP Statistics, AP US History, and Astronomy) as well as my 3 electives (digital photography, ceramics, and study hall). I lucked out and had study hall with Ezra. Unfortunately, so did half the female population of the senior class. I could feel their daggers all period. Supposedly, the 9th grade study hall was full and about 20 of us were distributed into other grades.

Study hall was the last period of the day, thank god, and Ezra tried to get me out of there as soon as possible. However, Jen Stedinsky had other plans.

"Z! Z!" we heard being called down the hall. 'Z' was Ezra's nickname, although we both despised it. We turned around, Ezra's hand securely intertwined with mine, to see Jen's double d's bouncing out of control. I rolled my eyes while Ezra tried to stifle a laugh.

"Hey Z!" she said enthusiastically, "I heard about you and Jackie. Such a shame," she said, her voiced filled with fake sincerity.

"Yeah, well, she was crazy so..." he offered lamely. Clearly this girl was annoying him.

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to do something on Friday. My parents are out of town," she said suggestively.

"Actually, I can't."

"And why not?" she huffed with irritation.

"I'm, uh, um..." he stammered.

"He's taking his girlfriend to the movies," I swooped in. She eyed us curiously and asked whom this girlfriend was. I knew I would regret spreading the rumor, but it was for Ezra's sake.

"Me. I'm Ezra's girlfriend," I said confidently. Both Jen's and Ezra's jaws dropped in shock. A smirk crossed Ezra's face as he pulled me closer to him.

"You're dating her. You, Ezra Fitz, are dating Aria Montgomery, freshman loser." Jen was such a bitch.

"I, Ezra Fitz, am dating Aria Montgomery, my beautiful best friend."

"I don't believe you," Jen protested.

Ezra and I chuckled. "You don't have to believe me, Jen," Ezra responded.

"Prove it. Kiss her," she demanded. Neither Ezra nor I was prepared for this.

Awkwardly, we turned to each other and slowly leaned in. When our lips were slightly brushing, we leaned the rest of the way in and committed to the kiss. Sparks went off. Literally. I felt jolts go through my body, fireworks were going off around me, and I was weak at the knees. After about 5 seconds we pulled apart, panting.

Jen turned on her heel and strode away, no doubt to the girl's locker room to inform the cheerleading squad of the latest development. Could it be? Do I have feelings for Ezra Fitz?

Ezra and I managed to make it to the parking lot before bursting into laughter.

"Can you believe she bought that?" I said between nervous giggles.

"I know..." he choke out.

Our fit finally subsided and we continued to Ezra's home. We were pretty silent on the way. I think the kiss was pretty awkward for both of us, but was it awkward for him because he had feelings or because he didn't?

We stopped, suddenly, a few feet from his door.

"Aria…" "Ezra…" we both began. Laughing slightly at the collision of words, he let me continue.

"About the kiss…" I began, searching for the words.

"Yeah, it was just a kiss, right? He asked more than stated.

"Right," I stammered. I was determined to chalk my feelings up to a moment of awkward weakness. I did not and would not have feelings for Ezra.

**Ezra's POV:**

The kiss had changed everything. Aria and I were just friends. Never had I ever thought of her in anyway other than a strictly platonic way, but that kiss… The kiss was magical. She clearly didn't feel anything, though. I just needed to push these thoughts away. Aria and I were friends and I am not doing anything that will change that.

**A/N:**

**So that is chapter two! I have 2 or 3 more chapters written, but then I am at a loss for what to write so requests and ideas are always welcome!**


	3. Aria's Song

**Here you guys go! This is mostly a flashback, but I hope you like it. There is only one more prewritten chapter before we head into unknown territory for the both of us. I honestly don't know where this story is going. It was an idea I couldn't shake so I needed to write it down. Now that I have, I don't really know what I am doing so any ideas woud be greatly appreciated. I do have one big idea in mind for the story, but it'll be many chapters before the characters are developed enough to write the idea. I hope you will bear with me in the future because updates are gonna get fewer and far between, but I promise this will be a fabulous story. As always, reviews are cherished. Enjoy, my darlings!**

**Aria's POV:**

That thing happened three days ago. "That Thing" being the kiss. _My _kiss. _My _kiss with _Ezra_. It had been running through my mind for the past three days and I was going insane! The rumor mill was churning out all sorts of ridiculous hearsay about the goings on between Ezra and myself.

Besides the awkward exchange before entering Ezra's house, we hand't really acknowledge the fact that the kiss had happened, nor that it had spurred such absurd gossip. We sat at our lunch table while whispers swirled around us. We walked to class as the idle chatter flew by. We walked home, leaving the ludicrous speculation behind. We talked about books, music, movies, our weekend plans; everything except the obvious matter at hand.

I love Ezra Fitz to death, but he is either a master at tuning out the crowd or a master at avoidance. Either way, he was a master and it was rather annoying.

I flopped back on my bed as I remembered the very first time I kissed Ezra. Not the kiss a few days ago. The _first_ kiss. _My_ first kiss…

**FLASHBACK**

"Ezra! Stop it!" Aria yelled. She was trying to escape the grasp of Ezra in the lake by their lake house. Their parents shared it and the two families vacationed there a few times a year together. On this particular day, July 4th, Ezra and Aria were splashing around in the water trying to cool off. Mike, Aria's brother, was still sleeping, as was Ezra's older brother Nathan. Ezra's older sister, Jessica, was helping our moms fix all the food for our cookout later.

"Ezra! I am serious! Stop it!" Aria protested once again. Ezra was trying and succeeding in trying to get Aria underwater.

"Aria! Don't be such a girl about your hair! It can get wet!" he teased.

"I _am _a girl, Sherlock!" she yelled back, making one last attempt to escape to shore, to little avail. Ezra grabbed her waist as she was reaching the bank and pulled her backwards into the lake.

"Ezra!" She screeched in horror as the murky water of Pocono Lake enveloped her. As she broke the surface of the water and twirled around, she was graced with the image of her best friend laughing hysterically at her.

"Oh you are _so_ going to get it!" she yelled.

They splashed around for a bit longer before they were called into the house by their parents. They walked back to the house soaking wet and laughing.

"You guys need to get cleaned up for dinner. It is in an hour!" Ella yelled up the stairs as they ran up to change.

Aria escaped to her room and changed into a simple pair of well-worn jean shorts and a red tank before grabbing her guitar. It had been a gift from Ezra for her birthday a few weeks ago. He was the only one who knew she wanted to pursue music. In fact, Ezra was the only one to know a lot of things about her, like how she still sleeps with her teddy bear she had creatively named Bear when she was 2 or how she cries during _Phoebe In Wonderland_. Their parents always joked that _Mary's Song (Oh My My My)_ by Taylor Swift was their theme song. They said they didn't know how perfect they were for each other, but someday they would. Aria and Ezra often said it was their song, but in jest. It was their song because it couldn't be further from the truth. It was a running joke between the two.

Aria walked halfway around the lake to a secluded clearing filled with wildflowers. It was quite magical. Ezra had found it a few years ago while they were exploring. He named it _Aria's Clearing_.

She sat down on a rock near the stream that cut through the clearing, guitar in hand, and began to play. The music flowed from her fingers and her lips as if nothing had ever been so right. Ezra wanted her to be more open with her music, but her fear of rejection kept it a secret. She only played for him. Many would say they were in love. Many _did_ say they were in love. It was a sore point for Aria and Ezra. They were just friends, but no one believed them and, as a result, Aria was outcasted by the girls of Rosewood.

Without even knowing it, Aria began to play _Mary's Song_. _Their_ song.

_She said, I was seven and you were nine_

_I looked at you like the stars that shined_

_In the sky, the pretty lights_

_And our daddies used to joke about the two of us_

_Growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled_

_And rolled their eyes and said oh my my my..._

The words just flowed. She would never know how truly those words affected her. Ezra was her best friend. Her rock. Her constant. If that. Changed, she wouldn't know what to do or where to go. Besides, Ezra was in 9th grade while she was in 6th. The age gap alone made them incompatible. They understood each other on a strictly platonic plane. Anything else would be catastrophic. She continued to play.

_Take me back to the house in the backyard tree_

_Said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me_

_You never did, you never did_

_Take me back when our world was one block wide_

_I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried_

_Just two kids, you and I..._

_Oh my my my..._

She strummed the last few notes, preparing to move into the next verse, when she heard clapping. She whipped around to see Ezra standing at the edge of the clearing.

"Hey pretty girl," he said. He'd called her that since she was little.

"Ezra, I'm not pretty," she argued, as she always did.

"You're gorgeous. How someone hasn't scooped you up yet is a mystery. In fact, I have it on good authority that Hardy has a thin for you," he teased, as always.

"As if. Hardy and I will never be a thing."

They both chuckled at their ritual banter before falling into an easy silence. Aria was absentmindedly strumming random melodies while Ezra braided her a crown of daisies. She fell back in tune with _Mary's Song_ and looked over to smile at Ezra. Their eyes locked and something changed. They were electrically charged and, as if in a trance, they slowly leaned into each other.

"I dare you to kiss me..." they said in unison before crashing together. Their lips moved in sync for the briefest of instances before they pulled apart in horror. There was a small window of time to fix this before everything changed.

"I... Uh..." Ezra stuttered.

"It was the clearing!" She said quickly. She was grasping at straws now.

"Huh?" Ezra asked dumbly.

"It was the clearing and the song and the sunset," she confirmed. "I mean, you didn't feel anything right?"

Clearing washed over him as well as gratitude. She was trying to fix things by justifying the kiss's meaningless nature.

"Yeah. You're right. I mean, you're Aria and I'm Ezra. Strictly platonic friends."

They both sat there for a minute in a no-longer-easy silence.

"Well, we should get going..." she offered quickly, standing up at the same time as Ezra. They awkwardly shuffled out of the clearing and back to the house in time for dinner.

The rest of the trip was awkward, but everyday got easier. Once they got home it was easier to pretend nothing had happened and they went back to being Aria and Ezra, strictly platonic.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

**Ezra's POV:**

I smiled fondly at the memory of their first kiss in Aria's Clearing. It was the best first kiss he'd eve had with anyone. Magical and awkward and perfect.

It was funny how right our parents had been about their relationship. One day we _would_ realize how perfect they were and that day had come. Surely Aria didn't feel the same though. How could she? She was the one who'd originally made they excuse for our first kiss. Everything was becoming very confusing and there was only one thing I was sure of:

She was fifteen and suddenly, she wasn't that little girl I used to see and all I need is her next to me.


	4. Our Favorite Spot In Town

**Hey guys! Thank you for all the kind reviews on my story. I really appreciate the suggestions and fully plan on using most of them. The beautiful and wonderful thehelloitsme brought a song to my attention that really fits with the story so go check out Catching Feelings by Justin Bieber. I have moved into my dorm at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and everything is wonderful for those of you who wanted to know :)**

**Here is the next chapter and I hope you like it enough to review :)**

**Aria's POV:**

The further away we got from the kiss the better. That was how I saw it. I'm sure, just as I was sure the first time we kissed, that it meant nothing. Although both kisses had drudged up suppressed feeling, I'm positive that I'm not harboring feelings for my best friend.

Unfortunately, we had to keep up appearances. Since our little stunt with Jen Stedinsky rumors have started flying. Ezra and I apparently eloped over the summer, behind Jackie's back _of course_, and I've been living in Ezra's room (unbeknownst to his family). Seriously? It's like they thought our lives were an episode of _The Secret Life Of The American Teenager_!

We had a routine down pack to avoid suspicion that we weren't really dating. This was all for Ezra sake, might I just say. He was no longer interested in dating any of the bimbos at this school. It was kind of like me being his beard, except he wasn't gay, he just hated all the girls at our school. I was a beard for his animosity.

Our routine was simple. We walked to school together everyday holding hands, met each other between classes, ate lunch together, sat and studied together in study hall, and walked home together. We tried to keep PDA to a minimum considering we really _were_ just friends, but since we were a couple we had to kiss a little here and there. We had scheduled kisses actually. He kissed my check as he dropped me off at class, he kissed me on the lips when I sat down with him at lunch, and there was a short make-out session scheduled at my locker so Jackie would see (her locker was next to mine considering our last names were Montgomery and Molina). That was just to piss her off.

One day we were walking to school when Ezra turned to me and said, "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

It was pretty out of the blue and, out of context, I had no idea what he meant.

"What do mean Ezzy?" I said in a gushy voice as two senior girls walked past us on their way to school. As soon as they were out of earshot we continued our conversation.

"That!" he exclaimed, arm out stretched at the girls in the distance. "This façade!"

I rolled my eyes. "Ezra. I'm doing this to help you. You don't want to date any of the girls at this school because they are all stuck up bitches. I do not plan on dating any of the unwashed miscreants of this school, so I don't see the problem. But if this makes you uncomfortable we can stop," I said. I think deep down I didn't want to stop, but I quickly pushed that thought away. Ezra and I were friends. Nothing more.

"No, no. I just didn't want you to feel obligated to keep kissing me in the hallway," he laughed awkwardly.

"Well then it's settled. You and I are in a committed fake relationship until further notice!" I joked.

We walked the rest of the way in this comfortable silence that had settled upon us a few years ago. Nothing was said, except we communicated everything in this easy silence. Swinging arms, hands entwined, it felt _right_.

We arrived at school and made our way to our first classes. Conveniently, they happened to be next to each other. I had _Introduction to Digital Photography_ and he had _Film Theory_. He gave me the planned chaste peck on my cheek that sent electric shocks down my spine.

I may not know quite what was going on with my feelings for Ezra nor may I know why I was all of the sudden so intoxicated by the smell of the cologne he's been wearing for 4 years, but one thing was for sure: I was not faking anything.

**Ezra's POV:**

As I dropped Aria off to her photography class, I couldn't help but over analyze the situation. This didn't feel like a fake relationship. It felt real... _so_ real. And why was I all of the sudden so entranced with the way she combs her fingers through her hair or by the smell of the lavender soap she uses?

Every scheduled kiss, every calculated touch, was electrifying. I tried to stop this feeling of overwhelming emotion from bubbling over, but it was so hard. Ever since our first fake kiss, I've been walking on eggshells trying to keep my emotions in check. Now this fake relationship? It was getting harder and harder every day. All I wanted to do was push her up against a wall in the back of the library and kiss her until she could't remember her own name, but I couldn't.

How am I supposed deal with the fact that we hug and kiss and do everything a couple does, but I can't reveal my true feelings? I can't lean over and kiss her while we're reading in bed. I can't hold her tight to my chest when we fall asleep. I can pretend she's mine to the world, but she's not…

The bell sprung me from my overwhelming thoughts, signaling the end of first period. The rest of the day was slow and boring as always. Now that I know I get to kiss her, _really_ kiss, her at the end of the day the wait is excruciating. Finally, 2:10 has rolled along and I bolted to Aria's locker. When I arrived, Aria nor Jackie were there. A few seconds later Aria appeared. I gave her my signature half smile and bent down to crash my lips to hers. They molded perfectly. Sparks, shivers, birds, hearts, all the clichés about what is circling above your head during the perfect kiss was hovering above ours.

After a few moments we parted to notice half the hallway gawking at our little display, including Jackie's face of disgust. Aria giggled and buried her face in my shirt. I laughed and kissed her head before taking her hand and escorting her out of the building.

After school we walked to Aria's favorite spot in town. It was a frozen yogurt place called Menchie's. It was imperative that we "kept up appearances", so Aria said. I bought her a froyo, smeared some on her nose and kissed it off, and stared longingly at her. I played the role of the perfect boyfriend, but it wasn't real and that's what was killing me. The fact that she wasn't mine.


	5. I Love Him, I Love Him Not

**Hey guys! This chapter is dedicated to GilmoreGirls945 and Ezriaismylifex for being wonderful writers, supporters, and friends. Please R&R! I am writing the new chapter now. My plan is to update the story once a week, but I don't think there will be a specific day that I update. It won't be longer than a week though. XOXO**

**Aria's POV:**

Ezra and I were sitting at a lunch table with some of his friends and their girlfriends. Noel Kahn (whom he knew from lacrosse) and Mona Vanderwal were sneering at me from across the table. Toby Cavanaugh and Spencer Hastings had been very kind and welcoming to me and to us as a couple. I felt really comfortable with them, as did I with Hanna Marin and Caleb Rivers. They were all super nice. A girl named Emily had quickly stopped by with her girlfriend, Maya, to talk to Spencer for a moment, but had taken the time to introduce herself which is more than I can say for the rest of the female student body so she seemed nice too.

Ezra was chatting away with everyone as he intertwined his fingers with mine on the lunch table. Butterflies erupted in my stomach. I don't know why it took me so long to realize my feelings for Ezra. I've known him my whole life. He knows absolutely everything about me, but loves me for it anyway. My parents like him and trust him, just as I do. There is nothing wrong with him. He is perfect; just the kind of guy every father dreams his baby girl will come home with. So why didn't I ever see it?

I think the quote by Tana French in _The Likeness_ was true; "When you're too close to people, when you spend too much time with them and love them too dearly, sometimes you can't see them." Maybe I was too close to see what was right in front of me. All it took was a step back to see I was desperately in love with my best friend. Everyone saw it; his parents, my parents, Hardy, Jackie, the kids at school. They all saw how I loved him, except me and I hope, him).

There is a kind of bitter sweetness to it. I love him, but can't tell him for fear of ruining our friendship. By not telling him, I still have him in every way I always have. I am walking a thin line and just the slightest move can have me crashing from the sky. I am not prepared for that. I can't handle waking up on the concrete. It is safer and easier for all parties if I keep my mouth shut.

**Ezra's POV:**

I am so glad that Aria was making some friends. I knew that Hanna, Emily, and Spencer would be super nice to her and it really seemed like they hit it off. I felt a lot of relief seeing Aria so comfortable around people who weren't me. Not that I don't like that she's comfortable around me because I do, I just want her to have some girl friends.

I have begun to realize that keeping up the appearances of our relationship was going to be much harder than I originally anticipated. My feelings for her were getting stronger and now even the smallest things make me want her even more. The way she brushes her hair away from her face or the way she chews on her bottom lip when she reads drive me crazy. The way she pushed my hair back before she kissed me or the way she coyly glances my way when she thinks people are looking. All these things make her more beautiful.

What's even more confusing is how ordinary some of those things are. We've been friends since we were toddlers and we've been reading together since we were 6. IsA far as I can tell, she has always bit her lip while she read. For some reason, that I _cannot _understand, it has suddenly become a turn on. The way her hair cascades around her face when she brushes it out with her fingers makes me want to push her against a wall and kiss her forever. But I can't.

Part of why I love Aria is because I know her. Not in the cliché I-know-your-favorite-color-and-ice-cream-flavor way (Lavender and Coffee Chip). In the I-know-the-real-reason-you-cry-during-the-notebook way (because she feels bad for James Marsden when Rachel McAdams leaves him for Ryan Gosling) or the I-am-the-only-one-who-has-heard-you-sing way. In the infinite ways only someone you've grown up with could know. If I lay it all out for her and declare my unbridled and passionate love for her, it could ruin that incredible friendship we have and I am not prepared for that.

I looked over at her and saw her laughing at something Spencer had said to her and I felt this all encompassing warmth in my chest to see her magical smile. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She looked over at me and held my gaze for a moment. Before I could even think, my lips were descending on hers. Our lips molded perfectly. The kiss was brief, but lingering. We broke apart and she looked at me questioningly, but our gaze was interrupted by Hanna.

"Aw! You guys are too cute!" she squealed. "I so called this. Didn't I, babe?" She turned and looked expectantly at Caleb. He looked at me exasperatedly and nodded.

"See? Told ya!" she said proudly.

"So Aria, Emily, Han, and I were going to get mani-pedis after school. You in?" Spencer asked her.

I looked at her to gauge her response. I could tell the thought of spending the afternoon with some strangers made her uneasy, but the only way she was going to make friends was to participate.

"Go ahead, babe!" I encouraged.

"Uh… sure?" she said more as a question.

"Oh yay!" Hanna squealed. "This is going to be so fun! We can get all the juicy gossip on Ezra!"

"Oh… wow…" she said, side glancing at me for moral support.

"Aria, go have fun. You can drop by tonight."

"Okay."

**Aria's POV:**

Ezra was encouraging of me hanging out with the girls and I could see why. They were all super nice and I was a little short on friends at the moment. Besides, I was going to see him later tonight...

"Where should I meet you guys?" I asked finally.

"I'll drive us all over so of you want to meet us at the coffee kiosk after school we'll ge lattes beforehand!" Spencer replied.

Before I could respond the bell rang and everyone hopped up and scattered to their various classes, kissing goodbye, and rushing off. Ezra packed up his stuff and picked up my messenger bag before holding out his hand for mine. I smiled up at him and took his hand. He walked me to my class and kissed me goodbye.

As he walked away, he turned back and said, "Have

fun with the girls!"

The rest of the day went by rather quickly and before I knew it I was standing at the coffee kiosk holding a tray of non-fat lattés and waiting for my new friends.

I heard a car screech up behind me and I spun around to see Spencer, Hanna, and Emily in a silver convertible.

"Get in loser, we're going shopping!" Hanna laughed from the passenger seat. I waved and giggled at the _Mean Girls_ reference. I walked over and handed all the girls their lattes.

"Aria! This is so nice! You didn't have to do that," Emily said surprised.

I grabbed the last of the coffees and hopped in the back next to Emily and Spencer sped off towards Lynn's Nail Salon. We arrived a short time later and all were greeted warmly by a nail artist named Gigi.

She seated us all in the massage chairs and provided us with an assortment of colors for our nails and toes. I chose a deep chocolate-cherry color. Hanna chose a hot pink, Emily a light blue, and Spencer a deep purple. Once we were all settled, the inquiries began.

"So. Aria. Tell us all the dirty gossip. You've been friends with Ezra since you were like, 1," Hanna said.

"Well, actually, I've known him since I was three. I don really have any gossip..." I answered shyly.

"Oh come on. We all know that's not true. Give us the dirt. How long have you guys been dating?" Spencer asked.

"A few weeks, you guys know that," I said, confused.

"No, Spencer wants to know how long you've really been dating," Emily clarified.

"Guys, we've really only been dating for a few weeks," I established.

All three girls looked at me, jaws dropped.

"What?" I asked urgently.

"Just so we are clear. You have been friends with Ezra Fitz for basically your entire life and you've never tapped that?!" Hanna screeched.

The girls and I broke out in a fit of laughter and a round of 'shhh'. We took awhile to calm down before I could answer. "Hanna. Listen to me," I said in giggles. "I, Aria Montgomery, have never had a romantic relationship with Ezra Fitz prior to my current relationship with him now."

"I cannot accept that," declared Spencer.

"Yeah, have you seen his abs?" asked Emily.

"Yes, I have. Have you?" I asked.

"We all have. He takes his shirt off at the end of every game. Why do you think lacrosse is our school's most popular sport?" Hanna said as if it was common knowledge (which, based on their reactions, it was).

"Haha, I never noticed," I admitted. I really hadn't, although I would now.

"You never noticed that your best friend has an eight pack and strips on the lacrosse field all the time?" Hanna repeated again.

"I really never did. We did kiss once before, but that was years ago!" I admitted as if it was nothing. I looked down at my toes which were almost done. I hoped Ezra would like them.

"YOU KISSED HIM?!" they all cried in unison.

My head snapped up in shock. "Yes? He was my first kiss."

They erupted in giggles once more and demanded to hear the story of my first kiss. I described the way his lips molded to mine, the way the song and the stars collided into the perfect moment, and the way we swore to never talk about it again.

"Oh my god! You've been in love with him since middle school!" Emily squealed.

"No! No I haven't!" I panicked.

"Don't be coy. We're all girls here!" Hanna said.

I sat back in my chair as Gigi finished off my nails and lead me to the dryer. These new friends were nosey. After we were all done with our nails, Spencer dropped me off at Ezra's and I waved goodbye to my new friends.

I walked up the steps to Ezra's house and took out my key. A couple years ago, Ezra's mom was tired of answering the door for me so she made me a key of my own. I shoved it in the keyhole and opened the door.

**Ezra's POV:**

I heard the door opening and jumped off the bed to look out the window. I saw Spencer's silver convertible speeding down the street. I leapt over to my door and down the steps to greet Aria.

I rounded the corner of the stairs and ran head first into Aria. She fell backwards and I landed on top of her. Thank god I was able to land in a push-up stance or I would've crushed her.

"Hey," I breathed. We were suspended in time for a moment before we both snapped out of it and I pushed myself up. I leaned down help her up.

"Sorry," we said at the same time.

There was an awkward pause before I said, "So how was getting your nails done?"

We began to move towards my room as she told me about her first trip out with the girls. We were talking in my room and slowly but surely the conversation began to stop. Finally we were both just sitting in silence.

"Ezra?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"What if I loved you?"


	6. Everything Is About To Change

**FUCK MY LIFE. I FUCKING HATE EVERY FUCKING PERSON IN THE FUCKING WORLD. TOBY IS ON THE -A TEAM. FUCKING TOBY. AND SPENCER FUCKED TOBY AND EVERYTHING IS FUCKING GOING TO HELL. FUCK.**

**Now that I got that out of my system…**

**I have had a few people ask me how I came up with this story so I thought I would share with everyone. I had this story kind of in my head where there was this friendship turned relationship between Ezra and Aria. That was the foundation. Then I saw there were a lot of AU stories where they were both in high school and I really liked the idea of that. Then, I started reading a lot of those stories and realized none of them really focused on the intense yearning and forbidden love they could have. Most authors skip over this stage of them contemplating the change in their relationship that a romance could induce. Most authors want to go straight for the romance and trials and tribulations within the relationship. I wanted a story that was more focused on their angst and longing and forbidden desire for each other. I hand't planned on the fake relationship, but when I thought of it I thought it would add to the desire so I added it. So yeah.**

**I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and continues to review this story!You are awesome! KEEP READING AND REVIEWING! I especially want to thank GilmoreGirls945 for all the support she gives me on twitter. You're A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Also, a thanks to thehelloitsme for being such a wonderful supporter of all my writing PLL themed or not.**

**This is a slightly M rated chapter so fair warning.**

**You're gonna hate me for what I am about to do but…**

**Aria's POV:**

I awoke in my sleep and shot up. The dream had been so real. Had I really just admitted in my sleep that I loved Ezra?

I thought back to the night before. After nails, I went back to Ezra's and all we had done was watch The Hunger Games and played Boggle! There was no admittance of suppressed feelings. I looked over at my clock and noticed it was 7 o'clock in the morning. I needed to get up and start getting ready for the day.

I swung my legs out onto the floor and got up. I padded over to my shower and turned on the faucet. In the mirror I brushed out my curly locks while the water heated up. My thoughts wondered to Ezra. I wondered how his touch would feel, his lips on my stomach, his fingers in my core. I felt a tingling between my legs that hand't been there in a while. What would it feel ilk to have his fingers in my core, pumping in and out?

I pushed away the thoughts away and stripped off my clothes (in the back of my mind, pretending it was Ezra who was doing so) and stepped into the shower. The scalding water fell from above me and burned my skin. The ache became stronger as I stood there, beads of water rolling over my breasts and nipples. Without realizing it, my hand slipped between my thighs and began to rub my wet slit.

"Oh!" I whimpered as I penetrated my whole with my middle finger. I kept it still for a few moments. I had never touched myself like this before. I had rubbed myself, but never penetrated.

As soon as I had gotten used to the fullness of my finger in my cunt I began to pump it in and out. I began to get wetter with every thrust of my wrist. I started going faster and faster. My mind was filled with pictures of Ezra, including a particular image my more ignorant self had tried to forget. A few years ago I had seen Ezra naked, accidentally of course, while we are at the lake. My younger self was horrified, but the memory served a great deal of pleasure now.

I could remember the curve of his cock, erect from the morning swim. The way the water dripped down his carved abs made me shiver. I imagined what his dick would feel like penetrating my virgin lips.

"OH GOD!" I moaned. I felt my walls collapsing around my fingers as I climaxed. Waves of pleasure rocked through my body and I fell against the wall for support. I removed my fingers and rubbed my nipples until the orgasm had completely subsided. I faintly opened my eyes, realization of what I had just done overcoming me. My cheeks burned with embarrassment even though no one else knew what I had just done.

I quickly finished my shower and hopped out to get ready for the day. I couldn't believe I had actually just gotten off on the thought of Ezra fucking me. We were friends! Best friends! I couldn't have these feelings for him!

I got dressed in a casual sundress with black riding boots and grabbed my bag just in time for the doorbell to ring. I walked down stairs and opened the door to see Ezra standing there.

"Hey!" he said brightly before pecking me on the cheek the way he always had. He hand't done it since we started this fake relationship and I had missed the comfort it brought me. Just a simple kiss on the cheek made me feel so safe. Not in a romantic Ezra-to-the-rescue kind of way, but in a nothing-bad-can-happen kind of way.

"Hey!" I said, a little too eagerly.

Ezra kind of stared at me and asked if I was okay.

"Yeah! Totally fine!" I said quickly, trying to act as cool as possible considering the orgasm this guy's image had given me just 20 minutes earlier. A familiar throbbing started between my thighs.

I groaned and once again, Ezra asked if I was okay.

"Yes!" I snapped. I instantly regretted taking my issues out on Ezra, but I could't help it. He was just so damn considerate and persistent!

He held his hands up in defeat. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand to drag him out the door. We walked the normal route to school when, suddenly, Ezra grabbed my waist and pushed me against the chain link fence of the park.

"What are you doing?" I asked, breathless. My eyes were searching his. He was staring at my lips, glossed in red.

"Jackie is across the street…" he answered, equally breathless.

Then, as if in slow motion, his lips descended to mine as if he had been waiting ages to kiss me. We met with extreme passion and desire. His tongue crept into my mouth, massaging my tongue, slowly moving deeper into my throat. I felt his hands trail up my sides, caressing the sides of my breasts. My hands grabbed at the hem of his t-shirt, feeling the exquisitely toned muscles in his back. He pulled back for a moment and looked down, eye lids drooping. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jackie standing and staring at us, steam practically pouring out of her ears.

**Ezra's POV:**

"I think that did the trick…" Aria whispered to me.

My mind was racing. That kiss was unlike anything I had ever felt. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins and it felt like an electric shock had gone through my body.

"What?" I asked. I was still so focused on this feeling of having her close to me that I didnt even realize I was holding her by her hips and pulling her close to me. My leg was nestled between her thighs and it almost felt as if she was trying to grind down on me. My breathing was still shallow.

"I said, I think that did the trick," Aria repeated. I looked over to where Jackie had been standing and saw her glaring at us.

"Uh, yeah. Definitely…" I said lamely as I, reluctantly, pulled back and took Aria's had. She seemed slightly disappointed that I had pulled away, but it must've been my imagination because as far as she knew, we were just friends. Nothing more.

We walked the rest of the way to school with Jackie trailing behind us. We were extra affectionate and friendly with each other for her benefit as well as mine. I was dying to kiss Aria again, but there wasn't a reason and in a fake relationship, there need to be a reason.

We made it to the school. Immediately, Aria was bombarded by Spencer, Hanna, and Emily who whisked her away for some, and I quote, girl talk. Noel, Toby, and Caleb were talking at a table so I went to go sit with them.

"Hey man!" Noel greeted as I took a seat beside him.

"Hey!" I said to my three best friends.

"So…" Caleb said with a stupid grin on his face. He glanced at Toby and Noel as if they were sharing a secret.

"Yeah?" I asked slowly, slightly scared of what they were hinting at.

"Heard you and Aria made quite the scene on the playground this morning," Toby stated. I could feel my cheeks heating up as I remember the kiss from just 20 minutes ago that had turned my world upside down. That kiss had convinced me that I was absolutely and irrevocably in love his my best friend.

"What did you hear?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Well I heard that she blew you on the slide, Toby heard that you went down on her on the jungle gym, and Caleb heard you took her from behind on the tire swing," Noel said, with an unnerving ease.

I gave them all a very strange look and said, "I worry about the way information circulates at this school. We just kissed."

"That must've been one hell of a kiss to illicit those rumors, man…" Toby said.

I remembered the way she had ground down on my leg (but that was probably just for show), the way she had touched my back, the way the curve of her breasts felt against my finger tips...

"Deep in thought, bro?" Noel asked. I snapped out of my fantasy and back to reality.

"Sorry, no. It was just a kiss…"

Aria's POV:

"SPILL!" Hanna squealed as soon as we were far enough away from our respective boyfriends. I stared blankly at them.

Well, Toby heard that Ezra went down on you on the jungle gym at Rosewood Park, Caleb heard that he took you from behind on the tire swing and Mona said that someone told Noel that you gave Ezra a blow job on the slide," Hanna explained with unnerving ease.

I stared horrified at three girls who were apparently my new friends. They all stared back.

"So?" Emily asked, much more uncomfortable that Hanna appeared to be, which made me much more comfortable.

"So? So what? None of that is true!" I defended. I thought about the kiss. I thought about how good it felt to have Ezra's body pressed against me. The way he had stroked my sides was electric. He had just made me feel so safe in his arms. I had completely forgotten we were putting on a show. In that moment we were one and as corny as that sounds, it's true.

"Aria!" Spencer snapped, literally.

I pulled back to my insanely depressing life where I was not in fact openly in love with Ezra. I was faking it.

"What?" I asked glumly.

"What happened?!" they all said at once.

"We kissed. That's it. Nothing else remotely illicit happened."

"Must've been one hell of a kiss," Emily said in a rather upbeat tone.

"It was…" I whispered.

"I bet…" a voice from behind us said. We all turned to see Jackie pointing a gun at us. It all happened so fast, but before I could blink, a shot rang out in the hall.

**A/N:**

**I know. I am so mean. Review!**


	7. In A Moment Everything Can Change

**So if anyone reads this and think it sounds familiar, that is because I borrowed some of this from one of my One Tree Hill one shots because I was kinda stuck. I hope you like this! Look out for me on cashmereandtweed . Tumblr . Com because I am the new entertainment editor! YAY! This is a really big deal guys. Of course there will be Pretty Little Liars posts! Anyway, read and review! As always, thank you!**

**_Aria's POV:_**

**_"Must've been one hell of a kiss," Emily said in a rather upbeat tone._**

**_"It was…" I whispered._**

**_"I bet…" a voice from behind us said. We all turned to see Jackie pointing a gun at us. It all happened so fast, but before I could blink, a shot rang out in the hall._**

**Ezra's POV:**

The guys and I were just chatting it up about nothing when all of the sudden we heard a gun shot and screaming from the upper end of the hall. All our heads snapped towards the sound and we saw a bunch of people screaming and running towards the exit. One of them was Maya.

"There you guys are!" she said breathlessly. Her eyes were wide and scared.

"Maya, what is going on?!" Toby asked in a panic.

"Jackie…" she tried to say. She was still trying to catch her breath. She was gasping for air and was shaking with fear.

"What did she do?!" I asked immediately at the mention of Jackie's name.

"Go!" she pointed in the direction of the commotion. "All of you!"

All of us jumped up in search of our girls. We were being bombarded by the masses as we moved against the crowd. It was almost impossible to find the girls. We finally reached the end of the stampede and I was welcomed with the image of Aria on the ground bleeding and Jackie pointing a gun at her.

"Don't move," she said sinisterly at Spencer, Hanna, and Emily; the gun was keeping them away from Aria, but their eyes were all on her with worry and panic.

"Jackie!" I screamed.

She jerked around and pulled the gun with her. Now it was pointed at me, Maya, and the guys. An evil smirk curled onto her face as she saw us. I looked at the girls and pleaded silently for them to see if Aria was okay. They all collapsed next to her.

**Spencer's POV:**

I saw the pleading look in Ezra's eyes, asking us to see if Aria was okay. I looked at Toby and mouthed _I love you_ to him before pulling the girls to the ground with me.

We surrounded Aria and inspected her wound. It was bleeding, but was fortunately just a flesh wound. I looked up at Ezra and gave a sign that she was okay. I could see the relief in his eyes when he realized she was okay.

I took of one of my layered tank tops and ripped it up to apply pressure to Aria's wound. She was passed out, but still breathing so she was probably just in shock. As I was wrapping up her arm, she started coming back around.

**Ezra's POV:**

"Jackie! What the hell?" I yelled, motioning around at the situation.

She just laughed wickedly and said, "Get your asses in the classroom."

The gun was waving dangerously. We all moved slowly, for fear of her power to take any one of our lives at any single moment.

"Ezra, grab your little girlfriend, too."

Toby, Caleb, and Maya went to get Spencer, Hanna, and Emily and escorted them into the classroom first. I slowly walked over to Aria, who had become lucid and terrified, without taking my eyes off of Jackie and her gun. When I reached her small crippled body I scooped her up in my arms and walked into the room with her head resting on my chest. She was crying into my chest. I kissed her hairline and whispered _I love you_.

She looked up at me, cheeks streaked with tears and pain in her eyes, and whispered, "Always?"

"Forever," I promised.

We entered all the way into the room and I set Aria down in a chair, quickly pulling up a chair next to her. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself against my chest. My arms encased her small body.i felt the shake of her tears as she sobbed.

"I am so sorry, love…" I said, trying to keep my voice even.

"Isn't that sweet?" Jackie's sharp voice cut through the room.

All four of us couples were wrapped around each other, looking very vulnerable and very scared. A malicious smile curled upon her unkindly face, scarring me.

"Isn't this sweet? All of us here together like this?" she asked sarcastically, waving the gun in Hanna's face. Caleb's hand wrapped tighter around Hanna's waist as she cried harder.

"Jackie! What is this?" I yell, motioning around to all the people in the room.

**Aria's POV:**

"Well," she began eagerly, "_You_ had it coming, little missy." She pointed the gun at me. "_You_ stole Ezra from me. You've had your eye on him as long as any of us have known the two of you."

"Jackie, I swear, Ezra and I are just friends!" I cried, not even trying to keep up appearances anymore. I felt all the eyes in the room on me. "I swear. This relationship between us, is strictly so Ezra and I don't have to fend off other people. I don't want to date anyone and neither does Ezra."

She seemed to contemplate this for a second before aiming the gun at me again. I winced.

"You expect me to believe that you don't have any feelings for Ezra? Ha!" she cackled.

"Seriously, Jackie! I love Ezra, but I'm not in love with him!" I choked. It pained me to tell these lies, but if it saved our lives, I was willing to say anything.

"I see the way you look at him and he you! I've always seen it! Even when we were dating, he'd blow me off for _you_!" she yelled.

"Jackie, you knew going into this that Aria was my number one priority. I would drop everything for her. You knew that!" Ezra rebutted.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you would actually leave me for her! We were in bed Ezra!" she yelled at him.

It was uncomfortably quiet for a few moments before Maya broke the silence. "That's all very nice… and uncomfortable for us to hear, but why are the rest of here?"

"Well, you and Ezra were supposed to be together, I only wanted you two, but then all of you showed up. It was either all or none, so I took all," she said with a sickly sweet smile.

"You're completely fucked, you know that right?" Spencer yelled.

Jackie's eyes got darker and she pointed the gun at Spencer. "Next time you speak will be your last."

I guess she noticed the fear in Ezra's blue eyes, I did, because her attention was back on him. "Scared?"

"Yeah, I'm scared," he answered honestly, making me love him all the more. He could have lied and said no and tried to be tough in front of me, but he didn't and he wasn't. My hand was still grasping at his chest, resting on his right pectoral muscle. I couldn't help but notice how toned he was. I imagined how his chest felt hovering above me when we made love. I realized what an inappropriate time it was to feel wanting for him and his body, but I could't help that I had a sexy best friend.

I pulled out my phone behind Ezra's back and called 911. Once they picked up I spoke again. "Jackie," I tried to reason, "What is this going to get you? 4 couples in an english classroom? How is this going to get Ezra to like you again? Killing his best friend isn't exactly something that will get you on his good side. That was enough for the cops.

Unfortunately I wasn't subtle enough because she yelled, "What's that? What's in your hand?"

"Nothing!" I tried to convince her as I coward farther into Ezra, but it was to no avail. She kept pointing the gun at me and I started to sob more.

"WHAT IS IT?!" she screamed.

"Alright, alright, stop pointing the gun at her! Alright?!" Ezra commanded.

"Why? Because she's important to you? Because you love her?" Jackie mocked.

"YES. Because I love her! For real. Not in the fake relationship way. Not to fend off girls. Because she is the most amazing woman I have ever met and I love her!" Ezra confessed.

I was shocked, as was the rest of the room. He loved me and I loved him! Happy tears started to prick my eyes, but I tried to keep them in until Jackie was no longer a threat. I settled for a subtle squeeze of his hand.

"It's just my phone," I interrupted, trying to lower tensions between Jackie and Ezra.

Jackie pointed the gun back at me and told me to give it to her so I did. I walked away from behind Ezra for the first time since entering the room. I tossed it across the room to her.

Jackie looked at the phone and saw the 911 call. "Oh, Aria..." she said wickedly.

Scared of what she might do, Ezra pulled me closer to him and I held on to his arm crushing it to my chest.

"Hello, 911? Here's the thing, if anyone comes even remotely close to this school, we start shooting students. You hear me? You come in here, your kids die," she threatened before launching my phone across the room. It hit the filing cabinet by the window and broke apart.

She flung back around and shook the gun in our faces, demanding our phones. We all anted them up, except Ezra.

"Where's your phone, Ezzy?" Jackie asked, using Ezra's ridiculous nickname.

"I- I don't have it with me," Ezra said. I pressed my face against the top of his arm, trying to stop my tears from falling, hoping and praying Jackie accepted Ezra's response.

"Oh Ezzy, you were always forgetting your phone…" she taunted before turning around to look out the window in an inspection.

Ezra engulfed me in a hug and kissed my hairline before diving lower to capture my lips. The kiss was short and comforting, but was interrupted by Jackie screaming at us to separate.

The entire situation was becoming worse and there still was no sign of help coming for us which worried me. There was once again silence for a long time. I had warped my arms around my legs and pulled them to my chest. Ezra and I had intertwined our fingers and held hands. We could hear the helicopters swarming above us.

"They're coming. If you see any red dots on your forehead, you might wanna duck," joked Toby. Jackie glared and lit a smoke.

"Naw, that's just the reporters," said Caleb. "We are all part of the circus now."

Emily, who hand't said anything, spoke, "What's wrong with you? He's just a kid. We're all just kids and we just have this life and the things you say and do, we feel that. How can you have so much hate in your heart? How can you act like it doesn't matter? It does matter. What happened to us? We're just kids. We can't be like this. It's not possible."

It was silent for a long time and we waited for salvation that seemed like it would never come. A bell rang, signaling the end of a class we never got to go to.

"I need to get out of here…" groaned Hanna from the floor.

"Yeah, me too," said Spencer. "Can we get a hall pass?" she asked.

"Has it only been an hour?" groaned Jackie. She clearly was as bored and tired as we were. "It seems like it's been longer than that…"

I felt Ezra's fingers trailing along my arm as I twirled a piece of hair. It would've been a pleasant moment had it not been for the gun on the desk in front of us. I absentmindedly said, "I have current events this period…"

"I think this counts," Maya joked.

"You shouldn't have come back for me…" I whispered to Ezra. We were sitting at the same desk we had been for ages. He was stroking my hand the way he always does when I am upset. Somehow, he is able to calm me with the simplest of touches. "I love you for doing it, but I wish you were safe," I told him. I could feel Jackie staring at us, but I didn't care.

"I don't want to be safe without you," he told me. I felt warmth running through my chest, I felt the love radiating off his skin, and I felt whole.

Our moment was ruined by Jackie, as I knew it would. "So what was I?" she asked. "Was I just a bookmark, holding your place until this child realized what a catch you are?"

"Aria is not a child!" said Ezra. I knew Jackie had struck a chord. She could throw rocks at whatever and whoever she wanted, but Ezra would die before Jackie threw a rock at me. "You can pass judgment about whoever and whatever you want, but never call Aria a child! She is twice the woman you ever will be. Whether we are a couple or you and I are a couple, Aria will always be a better person"

All the courage it took for Ezra to stand up to a gun wielding lunatic was hot and making me hot. I loved him with my whole heart and made me love him even more, if that were possible. Ezra sighed and looked away, completely irritated, but scared by the situation.

"So what? Do I have to pull the trigger again for you to take me seriously?" she screamed at his indifference.

"No!" I cried, literally sobbing.

I folded into Ezra's arms as Jackie retreated and the gun was removed from my face.

Just then, we heard the crack of a door swinging shut and our breathing collectively hitched. I knew it was the police. Jackie had promised to shoot them if they came in.

"I guess that's my cue," she said ominously as he exited the room.

I shook my head and leaned into Ezra as all of my emotions over took me and I let go. I sobbed and sobbed until Ezra's shirt was soaked through. He held me tight, the way he did when I first ever cried in front of him. He pulled me into his lap and rocked me. It seemed like ages since Jackie had left when suddenly there was a gunshot and our world was forever changed.


	8. Everything Has Changed

**Hey guys! I want to just say how incredibly sorry I am for prolonging this chapter so much! It was very nice to hear how many people were dying for an update though. I have been having some personal issues the last few weeks and just didn't have the energy to write. I hope you like this new chapter…**

_I shook my head and leaned into Ezra as all of my emotions over took me and I let go. I sobbed and sobbed until Ezra's shirt was soaked through. He held me tight, the way he did when I first ever cried in front of him. He pulled me into his lap and rocked me. It seemed like ages since Jackie had left when suddenly there was a gunshot and our world was forever changed._

**Aria's POV:**

Jackie walked back into the classroom a few minutes later, looking slightly different than when she had left, Shooting someone does that to you. Quietly, she stalked over to the desk and slumped against it. The gun was dangling from her fingers, but still gripped in her palm. Her eyes seemed to have died after shooting someone in cold blood. To shoot me was one thing; it was only a flesh wound, after all.

Her eyes got dark and she pointed the gun at Ezra. My tears were pouring down my cheeks and I gripped his arm harder, burying my face in his shirt.

"Get up," Jackie whispered. I could't see her. I didn't know who she had said it to, but from the way Ezra's bicep tensed, it had to be either me or him. I looked up and saw Jackie pointing the gun at Ezra. His eyes were closed, trying to process what Jackie had just said. I whimpered and held on tighter, but he shook me off and stood up.

"Ezra, no!" I cried, mascara running down my cheeks.

He looked down at me with pain and love before letting my hand fall from his. He walked over to Jackie and stood about two feet from the gun she was pointing. Everyone was crying, me most of all. I had to do something.

I shot up from my seat and screamed, "STOP!"

I scared everyone, even myself. Ezra shot around to me, fear and anger in his eyes. He was telling me to sit back down, but I couldn't let him just take a bullet. I have been in love with him since the day I met him and I only just realized it. I will not waste anymore time.

"Jackie!" I screamed.

"What?" she spat. I could see the anger and fire in her eyes when I addressed her. I scared me, but I was done be weak.

"He picked me…" I whispered. I didn't know if I was saying it to her or myself or if I even said it at all.

"Aria…" Ezra whispered to me. He was pleading for me to stop, but I couldn't. It was like word vomit. Every thought, feeling, action I had ever shared with this guy in my whole life could be summed up right now.

"He picked me, he chose me, he loves me," I whispered to her. I knew pissing off the crazy with the gun was bad, but honestly, playing along would just get us killed too. It was lose-lose so why lie? He loved me and I loved him.

"Excuse me?" she asked, as if stunned at my audacity.

"He picked me, he chose me, he loves me! Our whole life! It was always me! Everything he did was for me! I didn't see it before… _he _didn't see it before… everyone else did, though…" I looked back at Emily, Spencer, and Hanna. They were al scared and wrapped around their person, but they were nodding in agreement.

I turned back to her and looked her straight in the eye. The gun was still pointed at ezra, but her grip was looser and her arms were slacking a bit.

"Everyone knew… but us…" I whispered to her, gesturing between myself and Ezra, "We didn't mean to hurt you, but it just happened."

"Nothing just happens!" she screeched. "Everything is a choice! Just like this is my choice."

I didn't know what was happening. One second the gun was pointed at Ezra, the next it was pointed at me, and the next second I was on the floor. My vision was fading in and out. I could hear a commotion and Ezra screaming for me. I opened my eyes briefly to see someone tackling Jackie. I blinked and the next thing I saw was Ezra looking down at me, I blinked again and when I opened them up again I was in English class.

**Ezra's POV:**

From the moment Aria was shot, my entire life shifted into focus. I was unyieldingly in love with my best friend and it took a crazed ex-girlfriend with a gun for me to realize it. When the gun was shot, a SWAT guy burst into the room and tackled Jackie o the ground, immediately binding her wrists behind her back. I collapsed next to Aria as did the girls.

The next few moments were a blur. There were more SWAT guys, firefighters, EMTs, and cops that flooded the room. They all were pulling us away from Aria so they could help her. After they quickly inspected each of us one by one and returning our phone to us we ran to the EMTs and the ambulance only to see her being lifted and Mike jumping in with her. I saw he was crying and had his phone to his ear, probably calling Ella and Byron. My heart was racing and my breathing was heavy. I could't hear anything but white noise until someone grabbed my shoulder and everything came crashing into me.

"Ezra!" my mother cried. She had startled me.

"Mom!" I gasped as she pulled me into an embrace. It was tight and suffocating. I felt trapped. I quickly pushed her away, eyes wide with fear. I knew I had hurt her, but after what had happened, my mother's feelings weren't high on my lists of concerns.

"Mom, I can't do this now. Aria is shot!" I cried, noticing tears streaming down my face for the first time since Aria was injured. I looked passed my mother's heaving body and saw the ambulance pulling out of the lot. In a split second I was racing through the crowd towards Noel. I never thought I would ever beg Noel for anything, but that day has come.

"Noel!" I screamed as I got closer, nearly running him down.

"Ezra! Man, are you okay?!" he asked. He clearly had now idea what I had just been through.

"Give me your keys!" I breathed.

"Dude, what happened? I saw an ambul-"

"Just give me the goddamn keys!" I yelled.

I never yell. Noel was clearly shaken, but I didn't care. I needed to get to Aria. She was lying in an ambulance, with only her little brother to comfort her. She needed me more than she ever had before. My eyes were fiery with desperation as I held out my hand for Noel's keys. He pressed them into my hand and I took off towards the student parking lot.

Sweat was beading on my forehead, and my shirt was becoming damp with perspiration. All I could think about was getting to the hospital to see Aria. I reached the car about the same time I started to mentally berate myself for not realizing how much I loved her (as more than a friend) before she had a gun to her head.

I shoved the keys in the car's ignition and shot out of the parking space and towards the hospital. Suddenly, Mary's Song by Taylor Swift filled the car. I was shocked to say the least. The odds of an unpopular Taylor Swift song laying on the radio at a time like this? It was then that I realized the song was my ringtone for Aria. It was coming from my phone in the cup holder. I was so confused.

I was pulling into the hospital when I answered the phone. There was a short silence on the other end, before a familiar female voice answered and whispered desperately, "I need you…"

**A/N:**

**I know. I am mean. I am really trying to get back on top of this story. I actually thought of the best idea for it. I am going to do something NEVER BEFORE DONE in Pretty Little Liars FF. You ready?**

**I have been getting a lot of inquiries about Mercy of Love. I will finish that story as soon as I am done with this story.**

**Reviews make me write :)**


	9. I Dream Of Dreaming Dreams Of You

**Hello! Here is the much awaited update for Friends Without Benefits! Please review!**

**Ezra's POV:**

_I was pulling into the hospital when I answered the phone. There was a short silence on the other end, before a familiar female voice answered and whispered desperately, "I need you…"_

"...to meet us in the ICU. Aria is bad, Ezra."

Ella Montgomery's voice was frail and panicked. I could hear Byron screaming at a nurse for information. My heart sped up when I heard Mike screaming Aria's name, I assume as she passed by on a gurney.

"I am in the parking lot. I will be up in 5 minutes."

I quickly sent a text to my parents telling them where I was and that they needed to get here as soon as possible. I shoved my phone in my pocket and shot across the hospital parking garage. I pushed through the huge swinging doors into the chaos of Rosewood Medical Center. There were nurses flitting about their daily routines, loved ones crying in waiting chairs, and older people walking around with their oxygen tanks and loose gowns. I ran to the nearest desk and asked where the emergency room was.

"Three floors up and to the left if you take the elevator. Who are you looking for?" she answered politely.

"Aria Montgomery. She was shot at Rosewood High School today," I responded, anxious to end the chatter and get to Aria.

"Are you… I'm sorry, but are you Ezra Fitz?" she asked quietly, almost in a whisper.

I was confused. How did this woman know my name? Did I know her? "Yes. I'm sorry, do we know each other?" I asked.

The older black woman leaned over the desk and enveloped me in a tight hug. Into my ear she whispered, "You saved that girl's life."

She released me and sat back down.

"I'm sorry, what?" I was wasting valuable time, but I needed to know what this woman was talking about.

"You are a hero. I would get up to the ER before the reporters start to flock here. Just so you know, had you not pushed Aria out of the way, the bullet would've hit her artery and she would've died on site; she would've bled out."

"Who told you I pushed her out of the way? I can't remember that…" I said at a loss.

"There was a girl in here just a few moments earlier. She was quite the talker. She told me the whole story. Hanna I think her name was? She told me you saved that girl's life. Now go see her. You clearly want to."

"Thank you. What is your name?" I asked earnestly.

"Felicia. Now go," she said with a small smile.

I waved goodbye to the nurse and took her directions straight to the ER. As soon as the doors opened and I stepped out I was engulfed by reporters who supposedly already knew what had happened. I pushed my way through the crowd until an arm grabbed me and pulled me into a room. Once I was able to recover from all the flashing lights I saw Hanna, Mike, Ella, and Byron pacing in what appeared to be a private waiting room.

"What is going on?" I asked immediately.

Ella was sobbing into Hanna's shoulder while Mike and Byron held strong in a corner. Mike walked over to me with the soberest of looks on his face. He placed a hand on my shoulder and shook his head.

I looked past him to see Aria laying still on the gurney behind everyone. I brushed Mike away and rushed to her side. I fell to my knees, dramatically, and grabbed her hand as a loud sob escaped my lips.

"I am so sorry…" I whispered to her. I leaned up and kissed her hairline as a single tear dropped to her cheek.

**Aria's POV:**

I sat in my first period English class on my first day back to Rosewood Day in two years. Last past two years in Iceland had been wonderful, but they weren't home.

I had heard rumors that the new English teacher was ding dong delicious, but I had yet to meet him. My mind was much more preoccupied by the mystery man I had met in Snooker's the day before. When we kissed it was electric. I had never felt that way about anyone. It was safe to say I was in love with him. I had never believed in love at first sight until now.

The bell rang and our teacher came in and wrote his name out on the board. _Mr. Fitz. _Where had I heard that name before? I pushed the annoying thought from my mind as I prepared my paper for notes. I could hear Hanna whispering to Mona about how sexy they thought he was. Suddenly, I heard a distinct voice say, "Holy Crap".

I slightly glanced up and all the color drained from my face. It was _him_. The mystery man from the bar. Ezra. I knew everyone was looking at us and wondering what was going on. Ezra quickly recovered from the shock and cleared his throat.

"Okay, class? Please take out a piece of paper and say what you did on the last day of summer." He said the last part directly to me. Of course I knew what I would write about.

"You have ten minutes to write. While you are writing I will be passing out your books. If you have completed when I come around, hand me your paper. Begin."

_On the last day of summer I met an amazing guy. I met him in a bar where I wasn't supposed to be and he assumed that I was a college student. I was taken by him, so I didn't bother to correct him. Before I knew it, we were making out in the ladies room. It was romantic and erotic. I think I am falling in love with this incredible man. I know it's fast and irresponsible, but now I know what love at first sight feels like. I hope he feels the same, no matter what our position is._

When I finished, Ezra -Mr. Fitz- was about to hand me my book. I reached out to take it from him and our fingers touched. Sparks few through my body and I gasped. I placed the book on my desk and passed him my paper. We locked eyes and he knew what my paper was going to say. I also knew this was going to be a _long_ year.

"And for the most part the book was praised for it's colorful exploration into small town life and the readers loved it. They really appreciated its honesty when it came to prejudice and hypocrisy, which unfortunately was a very big problem at this time. And of course the critics loved it. Loved it's use of metaphor and lyrical imagery. However, there were a few detractors. Mainly, those who thought the author had cheated by making the narrator a little bit too perceptive for a seven-year-old. Does anybody agree with that?"

Ezra glanced around the room and his eyes landed on Spencer who was so obviously on the phone. She seemed very worried about whatever she was reading.

"Spencer?" he asked.

Her head snapped up and she stuttered, "What? I'm sorry. W-what was the question?"

"Do you feel the author took liberties with the narrator's voice?"

Spencer stared blankly at our teacher as she struggle for an answer. It was very not like her not to have an answer. I decided to jump in and save her.

"I think whoever said that missed the point."

Ezra seemed surprised by my answer, but he recovered and said, "O-okay. Go on."

"Well the author was writing from an adult's perspective about things she remembered when she was a kid. Things she was passionate about."

He seemed genuinely intrigued by my answer. "Do you think it's fair to apply that insight in retrospect?"

I felt a connection between the two of us. As if we were back at the bar and it was only us. "Yeah, why not? Kids see a lot. Probably more than adults, they just don't have the words yet to express their feelings."

"Why do they see more?" he said in a softer, more personal voice. I could tell this was going beyond the appropriate student/teacher conversation. It was becoming _very_ personal.

"Because they're curious. And they act on their feelings." My eyes hadn't left his in a while so I had no idea if the class had caught on to our chemistry.

"And you think adults have lost that ability? To _act_ on their feelings?" he said, as if asking about our relationship. Asking if I thought he had the ability to act on _his _feelings.

"Not the lucky ones," I said, my voice bordering on sexy.

"And what happens to those people who are unable to act on their feelings?" he asked me personally, the book long forgotten.

"They get _very_ frustrated," I said in an incredibly sexy voice.

We continued to stare at each other until we realized the entire class had caught onto our lust.

"A-are there any other opinions?" he stuttered.

The bell rang and ran to the door, super embarrassed by what had transpired.

"Geez Aria. Why don't you just shove your tongue down his throat," Hanna said as she walked passed me. I groaned in embarrassment, knowing full well we couldn't just ignore this. If we didn't talk about this, there were going to be many more days like today.

I walked to my second period thinking about how good it felt to be pushed against the wall by Ezra Fitz. The way his groin ground into my core made me wet and ache for his touch. I tried to shake the feelings I was having for my teacher, but I couldn't help but think I was missing something…

**Ezra's POV:**

"Please baby…" I whispered to her.

It was midnight, two days after the shooting and Aria had shown no signs of improvement. It was breaking my heart to see her laying there so helpless. I just wish I knew what she was thinking…


	10. B-26

**Thank you guys so much for all the love and support! Keep up the reviews! Love you!**

**Ezra's POV:**

"How are you today, my love?" I whispered to her as I came into the private room she had been moved to yesterday. Five days since the shooting and Aria had shown no signs of waking up. The doctors had her stabilized, but she hand't woken up from her coma yet.

Everyday I came by the hospital, before and after school, until the nurse had to ask me to leave because visiting hours were over. School opened up a couple days ago, but it was so different. Everyone was really freaked out, of course, and the hallways were very silent. I made sure to tell Aria _everything_ when I came to talk to her.

"Hey babe," I said after replacing her flowers and returning to her side. "Everyone misses you…" I began. "Hanna says to wake up soon. She was here when you arrived, like I told you. She made it here before I did even. She has been taking this pretty hard. Harder than the rest of the girls…"

I stopped for a second, a single tear falling down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away. I had cried enough for a lifetime. I needed to be strong for everyone right now. I picked Aria's hand back up and continued to tell her about everything that has been happening. I just hopped talking to her would help her wake up.

**Aria's POV:**

I woke up on cloud 9 just thinking about seeing Ezra _again_ yesterday. It all seemed like a dream. I've never met anyone like him.

My cloud came crashing down when I remembered the minuscule detail that he was my _teacher_. Dammit. I rolled out of bed and stripped my clothes as I headed for the shower.

Hot water cascaded in tiny droplets over the generous swell of my breasts. My nipples stiffened and tingled under the stream.

I leaned my head back and sighed as the spray soothed my flesh. Thinking of Ezra's lips on my body made me shiver with the anticipation of it happening fingers of one hand brushed across my throat and dipped to the slope of my chest. The tips slipped over my slick skin. I broadened my shoulders and pushed out my breasts like an offering to my sexy teacher.

With a low, elongated moan, I brushed the heel of my hand across my cleavage. One fingertip ruffled a pert nipple. My nub tingled and sent a shiver through my spine. I imagined it was Ezra touching my luscious body; making me moan with pleasure.

As the steam clouded in front of my face, I moved my hand lower. I prodded the pad of my thumb over my protruding nipple. It pressed tight against my body. The water pooled over my hand and splashed to the floor, puddling around my feet. I twitched my toes in the hot, liquid caress.

With my thumb and forefinger I pinched at the excited, erect nipple. A warm patch spread from the depth of my breast, down through my belly and lingered between the folds of my sex. I lowered my free hand to the plumpness of my tummy. My digits feathered across the soft, pliable flesh.

I arched my back. My fingers slid over the curve of my belly and tingled on the hairless flesh of my cunt. My breasts rose as I sucked in a lungful of air. I tugged harder on the blood-engorged nipple in my grip.

My thighs parted at an imperceptible pace. With one outstretched digit, I traced the swollen lips of my sex. The shower's droplets rippled over the sensitive labia. I held my breath. The fingertip nudged into the slippery slit. A gasp escaped my throat and rose above the hiss of the water. My eyes rolled in their sockets.

I pushed further inside. The tight walls of my sex enveloped it, sucking it deeper. I curled the digit at the knuckle and twisted it as I withdrew. The pad of my thumb twitched as I moved it up to the hardened nub of my clitoris. I hissed through my teeth as it made contact. The sound merged into short sighs as I rolled it back and forth.

Releasing the nipple, I brushed my palm across both breasts. The tightened nubs in the centre of each throbbed as they squashed under my touch. I groped and squeezed at the soft, deep flesh which surrounded them.

The warm water continued to trickle over my fluId flesh. I pushed my feet apart and wiggled my pink-painted toes in the wash.

The heat between my thighs grew stronger and urged my finger deeper. I twisted the digit up until my knuckles couldn't push any further. Twisting my thumb in every direction, I continued to toy with my clitoris. It pulsated under my teasing touch. I prodded it in tiny circles, my hips gyrating to the rhythm. My knees wobbled beneath my. I reduced my breathing to short, needful rasps.

I pushed my back to the cubicle wall. My skin slid over the slick surface as I bent my knees and lowered to the floor. The cheeks of my bum parted against the wet tiles. I spread my legs wider. My feet found immovable resistance on either side of my body. I arched my ankles until the soles faced each other.

I thrusted my finger in and out of my sex. The edges wriggled against the sensitive nerve endings. With eager breath erupting from my lungs, I flicked the pad of my thumb harder against my clitoris. The hard nub throbbed to my touch. My teeth bit down on the edge of one lip as the sensitivity promised to send my over the edge.

My head leaned back, exposing my throat to the water. I sucked in the steamy air of the cubicle. My stomach tightened. Pushing the muscles of my arms to their limits, I flicked and fingered with fever pitch. My breath halted in my throat. I stiffened my limbs and pushed down my groin. A piercing gasp filled the room.

I rolled my hips and pelvis against my aching wrist. My finger paused. I rotated the pad of my thumb as fast as my joints allowed. My lungs wheezed as I moaned, groaned and panted in pleasure. I closed my eyes and they twitched and rolled behind the lids. My body slid down over the slippery surface of the cubicle.

On my back, I pushed my wrist tight against my slippery cleft. My enveloped finger savored the contractions inside. I jolted back my thumb. The aftershocks rippled through my loins. They spread through my tummy in warm waves and spasmed through my spine.

My limbs fell limp and I crumpled against the tiled floor of the shower. The gasping of my lungs rose above the hiss of the water as I attempted to replenish my breath. A deep, satisfied grin lay across my lips and twitched in the aching plumpness of my cheeks.

I couldn't wait to go to English class.

I quickly lathered my body in my strawberry shower gel and washed my hair with Totally Twisted Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner. I hopped out of the shower in record time and threw on my aqua-colored terrycloth robe. Just because he was my teacher didn't mean I couldn't dress to impress… or masturbate to him in my shower. I blow dried my hair in waves and headed to my closet to pick out my outfit for the day.

I settled on a tight fitting black bandage dress with a few buttons left open at the top, a sexy red cardigan, and red stilettos. I finished off with black eyeliner and red lipstick. I walked downstairs, grabbed a cereal bar, and drove to school.

I walked into first period English with my homework in hand. I was excited for our class today. Not only would I see Ezra, but I would also get to read my homework to the class! I know it sounds nerdy, but our homework assignment was really fun! We had to write a poem made up of secret messages to one person. Obviously I wrote mine about Ezra. We hadn't talked since yesterday and I needed to and him this message.

I took my seat and awaited the arrival of our sexy teacher. I was the only person in the classroom so I pulled out my diary and started to pen an entry. When I write, I become completely engrossed in it and tune out the rest of the world.

I don't know how long Ezra was standing there, but when I looked up, he startled me. He had a knowing smile on his face and I could feel a blush spreading through my face. I silently folded my diary closed and placed my hands in my lap before looking up at him.

"Don't stop on my account!" he said waving his hands. I could tell he was impressed by my ability to completely submerge myself in my writing, without an awareness of my surroundings.

"I'm sure I needed to stop anyway. I think I get a little to intense sometimes."

Ezra took a seat in the desk in front of me and swung around so we were facing. He placed his coffee on my desk and said, "I really admire that passion in a woman."

My face got redder with the intense gaze of his eyes. I knew this was beyond our public flirtation the previous day. This was going back to the day we met. This was going back to the day in the bar; the day in the bathroom.

"It's not something I can control..." I said in a husky voice.

He stared straight into my eyes and said, without hesitation, "I know. And I wouldn't want you to." We sat there staring at each other for a long time. Until the bell rang we had been sitting at the desks, our hands inching closer with every passing second. When the bell _did_ ring we shot apart, but not before Mona and Hanna had walked in.

"God, get a room you two!" cried Hanna before plopping down in her seat.

Ezra gave her a stern glance and scolded her. "Miss Marin! I would appreciate you keeping your seriously inappropriate accusations to yourself."

She giggled with Mona and whispered, "I'll stop when he does."

I ducked my head to hide the extreme blush spreading over my face. The rest of the class filed in and the bell rang.

"Okay class. Pull out your homework assignments, we will be reading them aloud. Now, I know you all have this fear of coming up here to read so I did the assignment too. To break the ice for you all, I will read it."

Ezra walked around his desk and picked up a piece of paper. He sat down on a stool and began to read.

"This poem is called **B-26**. It was indeed written for the love of my life.

It's a number.

It's a song.

It's a girl.

Smooth.

Pearl joy packed.

Gold falafel,

As through ice.

It's four-thirty.

Morning with

Phone calls.

It's deaf mute.

It's cheap.

A foreign car.

Maybe bingo.

Lucky night?

Something says

It smells bad."

When he finished, tears were threatening to spill over my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away and pulled myself together. I heard him vaguely ask someone to volunteer. No one else raised their hands so _I_ did. He called me up to the stool and he replaced me at my desk.

"My poem is entitled 'Happiness'," I looked up to meet his gaze and saw his stare had become intense. I continued on to read my poem:

"A slow song.

A jukebox number.

A Hollis t-shirt.

It lights the streets of my mind as easily as your eyes looked into mine.

As if they were meant to do that forever.

It's a bathroom.

It's a sink.

It's a kiss.

It becomes more.

It becomes happiness."

I finished the poem without taking my eyes off the sexy teacher at my desk. It was happening again. That thing where we forget we aren't alone. That thing where we are very intimate in a very public manner.

He suddenly broke contact and we looked around to see the incredulous looks of the class. I swiftly took my seat while Ezra took more volunteers.

"What the hell is going on with you two?" Spencer whispered to me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked playing dumb. I hoped no one suspected anything, although I knew they did.

Spencer pulled her attention back to Mona's poem about her Jimmy Choos, but answered with, "Oh please. I'm not dense. I have eyes. You guys basically have word sex the entire class. And when it's not word sex, it's eye sex!"

"What? He's cute! That's it though. Nothing is going on!" I pleaded.

"No girl! I understand, but talk about an inappropriate place to have eye sex."

"We were not having eye sex! Or word sex! Or sex of any kind! Drop it!"

"Fine, but don't say I never said anything."

I slid down in my seat and waited for class to be over. Ezra and I really needed to talk. If we didn't get this under control there were going to be some serious repercussions. The bell rang and I left for my next class. As I was walking out the door, Noel Khan passed me with some of his nimrod friends and said, "Yeah! Aria getting it on with the teacher in a bathroom!"

Dammit.

**Ezra's POV:**

I had been talking to her for about an hour. I told her about school and the girls. I read to her poems and excerpts from our favorite books. I started to fade into a silence. I continued to hold her hand as I read.

Awhile later I heard a distinct noise come from Aria's lips. This has happened before. The doctor says any twitch or sound may be normal, but until she opens her eyes she will be considered in a coma.

In the past she has just twitched or made a hushing noise, but this was definitely not a hushing noise. This was distinctly a moan. I tried to stifle the laugh that bubbled to my lips. Aria was having a sex dream.

**A/N:**

**I hope you guys liked this! Aria's POV is a dream Aria is having in her coma. R&R!**


	11. Snow White & Prince Charming's Photo-Op

**Ezra's POV:**

The days dragged on and every day that passed and Aria didn't wake up meant there was a less and less chance she would ever wake up. I continued to read to her and occasionally convinced the nurses to let me stay the night. I was with her every day and it was seriously affecting my school work. My teachers told my mother I was "withdrawn", but honestly, I was just worried for Aria and her family. I got all of Mike's work for him since he hasn't been to school in a while. No one accused him of being withdrawn.

I was walking down the hallway when I saw Hanna at her locker while Spencer and Emily were a few lockers away, seemingly talking about her. Hanna slammed her locker and walked straight passed me. Bewildered as to what was going on, I walked over to Spencer and Emily to investigate.

"Guys, what is going on? Why is Hanna so mad?" I asked them.

"You know how there are many stages of grief?" Emily asked.

"Yeah..." I drew out.

"Well Hanna is in the anger stage," Spencer answered.

"Do either of you know why she is taking this so hard?" I wondered to them.

They exchanged a secret glance before answering me. "Hanna's dad was shot at his office a few months ago by a disgruntled employee. No one but us knew because she didn't want people to pity her. He was unconscious for two weeks and when he woke up he had severe memory loss. He's only just now regaining it. For a while he didn't even know who Hanna was!" they revealed to me.

"He survived obviously, but he couldn't remember her and she took hard as anyone would. I just think Hanna is having a hard time dealing with the fact that this situation with Aria has the potential to turn out the way her dad did.

**Aria's POV:**

It was the third day of school and I was already having an extremely illegal flirtation with my teacher. Great.

I got to school extra early so I could speak to Ezra without fear of interruption. I arrived around 6:30 and quickly made my way to his classroom. I saw him sitting at his desk grading our poems from yesterday. I lightly tapped on his door and saw his face light up when he saw me. He waved me in and shuffled the papers together he had been working on. I closed and locked the door behind me.

"Hey…" I said as I turned around. This was the first time we had spoken, privately, since the day in the bar.

"Hey…" he responded as he walked over and wrapped his arms around my body. I melted in his arms. It felt so good to be in them again. I missed the way our bodies molded together. It felt like an eternity since I had seen him, when in reality it had only been 24 hours.

We finally parted and I took a seat at a desk and he did the same. We were both visibly nervous, but it wasn't a bad nervous. It was more like a new relationship nervous. We couldn't stop smiling and fiddling with each other's fingers.

"I think we need to talk…" I said while avoiding his gaze. I finally got the nerve to look and I didn't see what I expected. I had expected to see him looking uncomfortable and bad-nervous, but all I saw was love and tenderness.

"Yes. We do. I think… I'm falling in love with you, but we need to stop doing that thing where we flirt openly in class. I know we don't mean to do it and sometimes it's uncontrollable, but rumors are starting to fly."

I let out a low giggle and saw he seemed confused by my reaction.

"We really do need to stop flirting. People are making comments that could get us both in trouble. BUT, you said something about falling in love with me?"

I saw him blush, he avoided my eyes until I tilted his chin towards me and kissed him for the first time since the bathroom. It was beautiful and magical. His lips molded to mine perfectly and I gave me butterflies that I knew I would have in my stomach until we could kiss again.

We broke apart, breathless, and embraced each other. Ezra glanced at the clock and we realized we had been talking and kissing for an hour.

"You should get to your seat. Class is almost started." I nodded and moved to my seat by the window. I stared out at the impeccably cute and landscaped lawn and couldn't help but smile at how beautiful life was. The bell rang and class began. It was filled with double meanings and stolen glances between Ezra and I. I was sad when class was over, but I knew I had to go. I waited to be the last one out of the room and when I was alone, I slipped a note I had written him in class onto his desk. It said _I love you, too_.

I sat in 6th period calculus and doodled "Mrs. Ezra Fitz" onto my scratch paper. Even though I had spent lunch with him, I still felt this incredible need to be close to him. The only thing I had to look forward to was our "date" tonight at his apartment.

I glanced up at the clock and saw class was almost over. I couldn't wait to get home and pick out what to wear to his apartment tonight. It was the last 10 minutes of class when a note arrived for me. It was from the office. It said the principal wanted to see. I assumed it was due to the fact that I was new this year. I excused myself from class and made my way to the office.

When I arrived, I saw Ezra in a chair opposite our principal. _There is no way Mr. Higgins could know about us yet. WE barely know for god's sake!_ I took a seat next to Ezra and placed my books in my lap.

"Do either of you know why you're here?" he asked us. We furiously shook our heads, indicating we had no idea what he was talking about. He sighed and pulled out a file from his desk.

"This is a complaint filed by a student who seems to think there is a relationship going on here. Do you know why they would think that?" he tried again.

"Mr. Higgins, with all due respect, Mr. Fitz is like 24. 24 is old! 24 is almost 25! Which is like almost mid-twenties!" I said, trying to sound like a dumb schoolgirl. I saw Ezra try to stifle a laugh.

Higgins turned to Ezra and asked, "Do you have anything… helpful to say?"

"Look, John. This is my first job. I am a passionate teacher. Would I really risk it all for a girl 8 years younger than me? Would I really risk going to jail?"

Higgins cleared his throat and said okay. He dismissed us, but not before he gave us a lecture on appropriate student/teacher relationships. We left the office in silence. We walked all the way to his office without talking.

"Look Ezra. We should just talk tonight. Okay?" I asked.

He nodded in defeat. I quickly erased the worry in his eyes my whispering _I love you _to him. This was worth it. I knew _we_ were worth it. This was my soul mate.

**Ezra's POV:**

I went back to the hospital after school and laid down on the bed with Aria. I stroked her hair and read her stories I had written. Maybe an hour had gone by when a figure moved in the doorway. I looked up to see Hanna red-eyed and weepy. I got up and walked over to hug her.

I nodded slightly and told her I would go get us some coffee so she could be alone with Aria.

**Hanna's POV:**

I walked over to Aria's bedside and sat down. I took her hand in mine cautiously. This made me so scared and uncomfortable, but I needed to face my demons.

"Hey, Ar…" I said awkwardly. "I hope it's okay I call you Ar. I know we haven't really known each other for very long, but I really need you to wake up. I was just getting to know you. I was so sure we were going to be really fast friends. I never really talk about this, but a couple moths ago my dad was shot. He was unconscious, like you are, and when he woke up, he couldn't remember me. Just like you, I was just starting to get to know my dad. I feel like every time I try to get close to someone they end up unconscious."

I wiped away a rogue tear and continued my soliloquy. "So, I need you to wake up and I need you to remember. Ezra needs you to remember. He would never tell you this, but he is really struggling. I'm sure he tells you he is fine and you should focus on waking up, but truthfully? He is struggling… so get well soon. I left you some pink alstroemeria by the door. I thought you may like them. Spencer wanted to get you yellow roses, but I thought you would like a different looking flower… anyway… bye…"

I walked outside and saw Ezra waiting against the opposite wall. We were both sullen. I gave him a half smile and walked back to my car.

**Ezra's POV:**

I reentered the room and took my usual seat by Aria.

"Hey babe. Did you have a good chat with Hanna? She really misses you, you know? All the girls do. They seemed to take a liking to you…"

I stopped, half expecting her wind-chime voice to answer me. It didn't. I puled out a rumpled photo from my wallet. I always kept it in my wallet as a good luck charm for everything. No one, not even Aria knew about it.

"Do you remember the first time you coerced me into a tea party?"

***Flashback***

**Ella's POV:**

I looked out the window just above the sink as I washed the vegetables I would be using for dinner. Aria was dressed up as Snow White and was holding court as if she were the Queen of Hearts. Her stuffed animals were lined up by size and all dressed in their best clothes. She was prancing around the yard in that magical way a 4-year-old does. Her hair was a mess and her dress was slipping off her shoulder as she waved the scepter around her head and shouting out orders like "I demand you try the tarts!" and "Drink some more tea!".

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a scrawny 3-year-old bouncing into the yard, back from school already. Ezra ran over to her and Aria's eyes lit up. I knew they would get married one day. I knew that was a long way away, but in my heart of hearts I knew it was true. Byron didn't like when I talked about it. He didn't like the fact that his daughter would one day grow up, but I knew he would secretly love nothing more than for Aria to end up with Ezra.

I looked out at the two of them playing. I could see Aria placing a crown on his head and knighting him. I stifled a giggle even though no one was in the room. I wiped off my hands and went to fetch the camera. I was waddling like a penguin and was grateful my little boy would be delivered soon. I located the camera and walked out into the warm September air. I took a seat on the porch, just a few feet from Aria's little kingdom.

"Mama! Look whose here!" she shrieked with excitement, pointing a finger at Ezra as she jumped up and down.

"Hello, Ella…" Ezra said with a blush. I waved from my lawn chair.

They continued to play for another 30 minutes, until Ezra's mother walked out on the deck and called him in. She looked over and waved before returning to the kitchen, as I should be doing. I was just about to go inside when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the cutest thing. Ever leaned down and kissed Aria's cheek. She went flush with embarrassment before jumping up and kissing Ezra's cheek back. I quickly snapped a picture and made a mental note to email it to the Fitzs'.

***End of Flashback***

**Ezra's POV:**

I looked down at the photo that had defined my childhood. It was hung in almost every room in both my house and Aria's. It was of Aria kissing my cheek. I guess that was our first kiss. Our parents showed it to everyone much to our chagrin. We usually just escaped to be alone. Now that I have these feelings for Aria, my memories seem so much more three dimensional. I can't believe I never realized earlier how completely in love we were.

I slid the photo into Aria's hand.

"This always bought me good luck. Now it will bring you good luck," I whispered as I bent over to kiss her forehead.

"Hey lover boy," a familiar face said softly from the door. I recognized it as belonging to Felicia.

"Hey…" I said weakly. "Are visiting hours over?"

She nodded and I nodded back, indicating I would pack up and leave. I grabbed my things and stole one last glance at Aria. I noticed her hand was wrapped just a smidgen tighter around the photograph. That small insignificant gesture gave me hope. She was still in there.

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, but genius takes time! Lol. Please don't forget to review this chapter because I swear it makes me update faster! I may seem like DSL right now, but I am trying to update as many quality chapters as I can! I would also like to thank flutterjumper for giving me the idea for the flashback! How fucking cute was that?!**

**Also, everyone follow my new FF twitter where you can ask me questions and look for updates on my stories. If you would like me to follow you then simply follow me and then tweet me your FF username. Once I have confirmed you write on here or review my stories I will follow you!**

**Also, keep an eye out for my new Pitch Perfect collab story with thehelloitsme! It is going to be called Breaking The Rules (rated M, duh) and will be posted soon!**

**Don't forget to R&R!**


	12. The Second and Last Stage

**Thank you to all my beautiful readers and reviewers (though I really wish you guys reviewed more!). Don't forget to follow me on twitter NightmaresD for exclusive content, insight, and interaction with yours truly! You can submit suggestions for any of my stories and receive updates! Go follow me! Here is the next installment of Friends Without Benefits. I think you will be ****_very _****happy with me ;)**

**Aria's POV:**

Ezra and I had been hot and heavy for a few weeks now. However, we still hadn't been on a real official date yet. I knew it wasn't like we could go grab a coffee at Lucy's, but we could do _something_. ANYTHING.

I finally finagled two art show tickets out of Spencer for the following evening. I refused to tell her who I was taking, but I think she already suspected it was our English teacher. Thankfully she didn't say anything.

I told Spencer I would make it up to her by paying for her pizza and a couple of rentals. It was the least I could after she scored me the tickets and was giving up her Friday night to be my alibi. I hugged her goodbye and made my way to the girl's restroom to prepare for asking out Ezra.

I tied the red tie I bought him around my neck and placed a sticky note that said 'Wear Me?' on the tie. Next, I taped the tickets into my notebook and wrote 'tomorrow night?' above them. I quickly zipped up my hoodie and grabbed the notebook before scurrying off to his room. I knew this was a risk since he was giving a make up exam today, but it couldn't wait. I couldn't wait.

I slowly opened the door and the minute I saw him all coherent thought flew from my mind.

"Hi..." I said flirtatiously, simply dazzled by his sexiness.

"Hi... Miss Montgomery! What can I do for you?" he stammered.

I was taken aback by his formal teacher tone until I remembered the make up test. I quickly placed the notebook down on his desk and said, "I was wondering if you could take a look at my reading assignment?"

"Uhm, do you think that could wait until after the make up test has been administered?" he asked cautiously. I smirked and opened the notebook to the page with the tickets.

I danced my finger over the little metal zipper of my hoodie and said, "I really want to know if I'm on he right track..." I pulled the zipper down. I saw his eyes bulge out of their sockets and it gave me a sense of pride. I could make a man weak at the knees. I knew the thought that I had nothing underneath had crossed his mind and once again I felt a rush. He had thought about me naked.

When the zipper had been tugged all the way down my body, I put my hands on my hips and said, "So what do you think?"

He looked from the tie, to the tickets, to me and smiled. He closed up the notebook and said, "I definitely think you're on the right track." I blushed and covered up the tie with my notebook.

Before walking out the door, I turned to my boyfriend and pretended to drop my pen. I bent down to retrieve it while my cleavage spilled over my shirt and was pushed further together. When I stood back up I saw that Ezra had definitely seen more than he had bargained for and was liking it. A lot. This date would be interesting.

Of course our date went well. Better than expected. We got really close to third base on the limo ride home, but Ezra stopped as usual. I was getting really frustrated if you know what I mean. I think I have a plan, but I don't know if it will work. I mean, I only came up with it on the ride to school, but aced last night's dream, I can't wait anymore.

I walked into my first period English class taught by non other than my boyfriend, Ezra Fitz. Normally I would be ecstatic to be in his class, but today was an exception. Last night I had a steamy dream about him punishing me and now I was extremely horny. How was I supposed to sit through his class without touching myself?

I made my way over to my seat by the window and folded one leg beneath me as the class began. My toes just barely grazed my wet folds, offering no friction or relief. Suddenly, I felt a vibrating against my thigh, making me even wetter. I opened the text to find it was Ezra. My head snapped up to see if he had noticed how hot I was. He was grading papers as he had given them the class period as a study hall. I opened the text and read:

**_Exactly how horny are you? - E.F._**

I felt a blush creep up my neck as I finished the text. So he had noticed. I quickly sent a response.

**_You have no idea the things I want you to do to me right now. - XOXO Aria_**

I hit send and my gaze flew to the front of the room. I saw him open and read the text. Little butterflies were flying around my stomach. We had never been so openly dirty in class and I had to admit that I was loving it. I felt my phone vibrate between my legs and I almost let out a moan of pleasure, but caught myself.

**_I think I have a pretty damn good idea, but why don't you tell me anyway? - E.F._**

So he wanted me to describe exactly what I wanted him to do to me? That could be arranged. My slender fingers typed furiously and hit send.

**_Well for starters you could strip off all my clothes and tie my hands above my head. - XOXO Aria_**

He almost instantly responded.

**_Oh really? You want to be punished? Only bad girls sext their teachers. - E.F._**

Indeed. I was a very bad girl. Only bad girls wanted their teachers to ravage their bodies until they could barely walk. I penned my reply and hit send.

**_I'm very naughty. Only naughty girls want their teacher's fingers in their wet pussy. Only naughty girls want their teacher to make them cum all over his desk. - XOXO Aria_**

I could see the subtle and deliberate movement of his hand behind the desk. Most people wouldn't think twice about it, but I wasn't most people; I knew better.

**_I want to shove my dick into your wet cunt so badly right now. I want to drill you against my desk until you can't walk and then I want to eat you out. How does that sound? - E.F._**

I could barely control myself now. I had the familiar throbbing between my soaked thighs and it was all I could do to keep my hands out of my skirt. I was so horny and all I could do was think of the violation of my body by my extremely fuckable English teacher/boyfriend. I spread my legs apart widely so he could get a good look at the skimpy red thong I was wearing. It was a shade darker due to how wet I was. I saw his eyes bulge from their sockets as he took in my appearance. Once I had his attention on me, I sent my reply.

**_That sounds fantastic. I need something inside me. My fingers and dildo haven't been cutting it lately. I'm pleasuring myself constantly, but nothing seems to work... It's a good thing class is over. I don't have a second period you know... - XOXO Aria._**

Just then the bell rang and everyone bolted from their seats. No one noticed the girl left in the dust. Ezra quickly went to lock the door as I stripped down to my matching thong and push-up bra.

He slammed my small body against the wall and pushed his tongue into my mouth, not giving me a moment to consider anything. He was far too horny to be courteous, but then again, so was I.

His hands fluttered to the back of my bra and quickly unclasped it. It was soon discarded and forgotten on the floor. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I could feel his hard cock through his trousers and I let out a lustful moan of pleasure.

Ezra placed me on the desk and his mouth latched onto one of my hard, perky nipples.

"Oh God! Ezra! That feels so good!" I moaned as his tongue flicked back and forth on the sensitive skin. He continued to swirl his tongue over the darkened area, alternating breasts. He suddenly backed away from me. I whined in protest at the lack of contact between them. Ezra quickly stripped down to his boxers and returned to me, his naked girlfriend, on his desk.

"Miss Montgomery. I don't think it's appropriate to address your teacher like that," he scolded.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Fitz! Maybe you need to teach me a lesson..." I moaned through the lust I was feeling.

Ezra shoved three fingers into my hot center without any warning. Not that I needed any. I was so wet that his fingers slipped in without any problems.

"Mr. Fitz!" I screamed out. A smile danced on the lips of my teacher as he continued to finger fuck me.

"Miss Montgomery. You have been a very naughty horny slut today. We can't have that now can we?" he asked me. My eyes were clenched shut as I neared my orgasm, but I managed to nod my head. Ezra suddenly withdrew his digits from my core. I whined in protest but he simply stated, "Miss Montgomery, I told you, you needed to be punished."

"But I was so close! Please!" I groaned. My hands had fisted in his hair and my nails had long since left marks on his beautiful head.

"Would a good girl beg her teacher to fuck her? You are not learning your lesson." He grabbed hold of my hips and twirled me around until I was bent over his desk. My breasts were crushed against the fine oak. He slammed his rock hard cock into my backdoor without any warning (once again). I screamed in pain and pleasure. He rammed me against the desk, pulling in and out of my tight hole. I was moaning and groaning in pleasure telling him to go deeper. He was never one to disagree. He thrusted deeper into my tight body.

"EEEEEEEZZZZZZZRRRRRRRAAAAAAA !" I screamed as my orgasm ripped through my body. He began to cum with me, his hot seed invading my hole. He pulled out of my convulsing body, a rope of semen shooting over her back. Ezra grabbed my arms and spun me around so that I was laying down on his desk. He grabbed my breasts and squeezed them tight.

My eyes were clenched shut as I felt the familiar pool between my thighs. I felt Ezra's soft lips touch mine and my body instantly relaxed. Our lips moved in perfect synchrony as we kissed. When we finally pulled apart, we realized 2nd period was almost over. We quickly made ourselves presentable and kissed goodbye before unlocking the door in time for the bell to ring.

It wasn't like I was a virgin by any means, but that felt like my first time. I guess it was different when the person you did it with was your soulmate. I caught up with Hanna and let my mind wander back to last period. She was grumbling on and on about some pop quiz in art history. My mind was focused on the feeling of Ezra inside me.

I was positive that if I died right now, I would be okay with that. The bell rang and I moved on to my next class. I passed him in the hall and Ezra and I shared a sexy look as I entered my class. We had plans to meet up tonight for dinner and some just desserts. The day dragged on, but soon the bell rang and I was free. I shot out of my seat in American History next to Spencer and flew to my car. I couldn't wait to get all cute and sexy for my boyfriend.

I was rushing and forgot to look before I stepped into the street. I heard someone scream my name, but it was too late. I felt 10 thousand pounds of metal hit me at 35 miles an hour and everything went black.

**Ezra's POV:**

It has been weeks since the shooting and Aria was still unconscious. Reporters still scoured Rosewood in hopes of striking gold for a story and I was getting angrier by the day. The vultures had been stationed outside the Montgomery's house and my own as well as outside of the high school since the shooting.

They were all wondering the same thing as me: _when would she wake up?_

There were armed guards at every entrance to the school to make sure no reporters badgered students on school grounds. I made friends with the guards who stood by the doors to the gym. He allowed me to escape the chaos of reporters by slipping out the back so I could get to Aria's bedside. I drove straight to the hospital and Felicia would meet me around back, at the door that opened into the boiler room. She ushered me up to Aria's room (reporters were banned from inside the hospital) where I stayed until visiting hours were over. Felicia would take me back down to the boiler room and I would drive back home to a lawn full of photographers and news cameras. I pushed through the throng and made it to my door to be greeted by my mother, sometimes Ella as well. This was my routine. Everyday for three weeks I did this. And I was tired.

I got to Aria's room today, the three week anniversary of the shooting, and for the first time I had nothing to say. What was there left to say? I had been begging her to wake up since the day she was shot. How much more could I wait? But did giving up mean I loved her less? Did it make me a bad person?

"God, Aria…" I breathed as I leaned over her bed. "GODDAMMIT ARIA!" I screamed.

I felt tears pricking my eyes, but they weren't the tears I had come accustomed to in the past few weeks. They were angry tears filled with pain and hate for Aria and Jackie. I walked to the door and was about to leave when I heard a moan from the bed. I turned around to see the beautiful eyes of the girl I love fluttering open.

**A/N:**

**Don't forget to review and follow/tweet me at NightmaresD!**


	13. A New Reality

**OMG! MY ROOMMATE WAS SMOKING IN MY DORM AND THE RA FOUND OUT! UGH! So that is why I didn't update last night. I was getting in trouble for drugs I wasn't even using! I am not amused. Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. I know it is a lot of dialogue, but it was necessary! Love you all and thanks for the continued support!**

_I felt tears pricking my eyes, but they weren't the tears I had come accustomed to in the past few weeks. They were angry tears filled with pain and hate for Aria and Jackie. I walked to the door and was about to leave when I heard a moan from the bed. I turned around to see the beautiful eyes of the girl I love fluttering open._

"Ezra?" she said weakly, trying (and failing) to lift her tiny body off of the bed.

"No, no, baby. Don't try to get up!" I said, relief washing through my body. "Can I get a nurse in here?!"

Aria's two main nurses came rushing in, clearly concerned she had taken a turn for the worse, but as soon as they came in and saw the 100 watt smile on my face calmed down. The older woman came over and began doing a few basic tests while the younger one sat down next to Aria and began asking her a few questions.

"What's your name, sweetie?" she asked gently.

Aria glanced nervously and I nodded encouragingly.

"Aria. Aria Montgomery," she answered confidently.

"And do you know how old you are?" the nurse asked.

"17," she answered, again, confidently.

With every correct answer my spirits lifted. She could remember. She hand't forgotten anything.

"Could I ask her a question?" I asked the nurse hopefully.

"Sure, but nothing too taxing," she warned.

"Aria?" I asked tentatively, "What is my name?"

"Ezra Fitz," she answered after a moment of contemplation.

My pulse quickened as I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Yes. And who am I to you?" I asked again.

Aria gave me a strange look as if questioning why I had asked her such an audacious question.

"You're my… teacher," she stated finally.

I felt my heart stop. Something was wrong. Why would she think I'm her teacher?

"Do you remember how you got hurt?" I asked, panic laced in my voice.

Again, she gave me the strangest look.

"I wasn't looking when I was crossing the street. I got hit by a car."

I could feel myself starting to shake. I stood up hastily, unintentionally startling Aria.

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to hold it together. "I'll go get her parents."

I ran from the room, down the hall, and collapsed in an empty stairwell. Sobs were shaking me of my cool exterior. I pulled out my phone and called Ella Montgomery. I knew she would answer my call. I would only call if it was about Aria.

"Ezra? Is everything all right?" she asked cautiously.

I choked back a sob.

"Ezra!" Ella said alarmed.

"She's… she's awake…" I said quietly, pain dripping in my voice.

"She's awake?" Ella asked in disbelief. "If she is awake, why are you so upset?"

I took a beat to gather myself and my thoughts, but all I could tell her was to get down here with Byron as soon as possible. I hung up the phone and took a deep breath as I tried to calm myself down. I needed to accept my new reality and help Aria get back to her normal self.

I started to walk back to Aria's room when I saw her doctor.

"Dr. Greene! Dr. Greene!" I yelled as I jogged over to him.

"Oh, Ezra. I heard what happened with Aria," he said. "Sometimes that can happen with trauma patients. It is their way of dealing with the pain."

"How long will it last?" I asked.

"Every case is different. It could be anywhere from hours to months. She may never remember this reality."

I wiped my eyes, thanked him, and made my way back to Aria's room. I was surprised to see she was alone. I peaked in tentatively and was even more surprised to see her face light up at the sight of me.

"Ezra!" she squealed, waving me in.

I made it halfway to her bed when she gave me a weird look. I stopped, afraid I had scared her.

"Is everything all right?" I asked slowly.

"Shut the door and draw the blinds," she ordered as if that was a completely normal and obvious thing to do.

"Hum, why?" I asked as gently as possible.

"So no one sees us…" she said slowly and with squinty eyes.

I conceded and did as she asked. I completed the tasks and took a seat an appropriate distance away from my "student".

"So…" I said awkwardly.

Aria gave me the most curious of looks and motioned for me to lay with her on the hospital bed. Needless to say I was very confused, but did as I was asked and layed down with her. It felt good to have her back, even though I'm not quite sure what reality she was living in.

I stretched out beside her, clearly uncomfortable considering she thought I was her teacher. Again, she gave me this amused look and picked up my arm to wrap around her shoulders. She snuggled up into my side and rested her head on my chest.

I felt a pain in my heart. Here was this girl I had known my whole life, a girl who had always been an open book to me, a girl I knew better than I knew myself and I had no idea what was going on with her. A few moments later she spoke.

"I am so glad you were here when I woke up. I can't imagine going through this without you," she whispered.

"Aria… who am I to you?" I asked tentatively.

"You're my boyfriend. Duh!" she said with a playful punch to my arm. I laughed along uneasily.

Felicia knocked on the door and Aria tensed up. Felicia poked her head in and told us Aria's parents were here.

"Okay, thanks," I told her while Aria continued to look like a deer in headlights.

Once the door was shut she turned and looked at me audaciously.

"It's fine. She's a family friend," I assured/lied to Aria. She nodded in acceptance. I kissed hr temple and untangled myself from her petite body. I walked to the door and turned back to look at the girl I loved.

"I'll always come back for you," I promised.

"I'll always be waiting. I would wait forever."

I exited the room to be met by the Montgomery family.

"Ezra, what's going on?" Ella asked worriedly.

"Aria has… created an alternate reality. The doctor said it could happen," I explained.

"Well when will she be back in _this _reality?" asked Mike.

"They really don't know. She could never come out of it at all."

Ella gasped and leaned into Byron for support. Ella made a move to enter Aria's room, but I stopped her.

"There's something you need to know."

"What else could there possibly be?" Byron demanded.

"Her new reality is… _extreme_…" I tried to explain.

"What do you mean?" asked Mike.

"She doesn't know who I am exactly."

"Ezra, you're not making any sense!" Ella said nervously.

"She thinks I am her teacher. She also thinks I am her boyfriend, which I am in _this _reality," I explained.

"I'm sorry, I am confused. What _exactly _are you telling us?" Byron asked.

"In Aria's reality she is having an affair with her teacher. So when we go in there, you have to treat me as her teacher."

The Montgomery family looked beaten.

"Let's just go in and see what we're dealing with…" said Ella, voice of reason.

We entered Aria's hospital room as a large group. Aria was laying in her bed staring at the ceiling. She heard the door close and turned to see us standing there.

"Mom, Mike, Dad!" she exclaimed.

Ella was the first to hug her. "Oh baby girl! We've missed you!"

"How long was I asleep?" Aria asked incredulously.

She looked around the room at all the solemn faces. I saw her beautiful features begin to darken and crease.

"Tell me!" she demanded, raising her voice a little more.

"6 weeks, Ar! You were gone for 6 weeks!" Mike yelled.

"6 weeks? 6 weeks!" Aria panicked.

"Aria, just calm down," Byron demanded.

"I will _not _calm down! I just lost 6 weeks of my life," she screamed, now hysterical.

"Why don't we give you some space and we will go get filled in by your doctor…" Ella suggested.

"I think that would be best," Aria said with a hint of an attitude.

We all left to give her space, but there was a sinking feeling in my stomach that my bets friend was gone.

**Aria's POV:**

None of this made sense. Everyone was acting very strange. It's like they think I've forgotten everything about my life. I saw a nurse fiddling with my heart monitor and decided to take a risk.

"Uh, ma'am?" I asked timidly.

"What do you need sweetie?" the nurse asked kindly.

"Could you by chance bring Ezra Fitz back in here please?"

"Absolutely. You know, he has barely left your side since you were admitted," she added before going to find Ezra.

I smiled to myself at the thought of Ezra staying by my side. But why would he risk exposure? I sat up and fixed myself up as best I could. A moment later Ezra entered the room smiling and talking to the nurse. He said goodbye and closed the door as I had asked him to before. He also drew the blinds.

"Hey…" I said tentatively as he edged nearer to my bed.

"Hey," he said back.

There was a long, awkward pause before I broke.

"what the hell is going on?" I asked exasperatedly. Ezra looked taken aback by my outburst.

"Excuse me?' he asked, confused.

"What the hell is going on?!" I repeated, irritated now.

"Aria, please. I need a little more than that," he begged, clearly worn down.

"Why have you been here so much when you know we can't tell anybody what's between us? Why did my mom look horrified when I asked how long I had been asleep? Why did _you _look horrified when I said I was in a car accident? Why have you been so careless when we've been together since I've been awake? Why is everyone acting like I am living a different life?" I yelled at mi, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Calm down," a booming voice echoed from the door. I looked over to see a doctor looking worried.

He looked at Ezra and said, "I think you need to have that conversation with Miss Montgomery now."

"Dr. Greene…" ezra protested.

"No, it's okay. She trusts you. It should come from you."

"What?! What should come from you?!" I cried.

"I'll let you two talk," Dr. Greene said.

Ezra came over and sat on the hospital bed. I scooted over to make room. He took my hands in his and it felt good to have him there, even if he was keeping something from me.

"Please talk to me…" I whispered.

"Aria, this is going to be hard for you to hear. And this is going to be scary. But I need you to know that I love you and I will do _anything _to help you through this."

"Through what? Ezra, please! You're scaring me!"

"Aria, this reality you're living in is not real. You were never my student. You're my best friend. You have been my best friend since we were kids. I am 17 and I am hopelessly in love with you."

I stared blankly at my boyfriend as I processed what he had just told me. The only thing I could say was, "What?"

**A/N:**

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	14. Differentiating Between Realities

**Here is the next chapter of FWB! Please review!**

It's been a week since Ezra told me about my amnesia. I was angry at first, but I was mostly scared. How could I forget how much we meant to each other? How could I still not remember _now_? Ever since Ezra explained everything to me I have been racking my brain to remember this reality. We have been through so much. We have been best friends forever; we have been in love forever. However, it took a gun-raging ex-girlfriend for us to admit it, not only to each other, but to ourselves. It was almost Shakespearean in tragedy.

"The girls" visited me today. That's what Ezra called them. Apparently we'd gotten pretty close since Ezra and I had started "dating". Of course I didn't remember any of this. Apparently I wasn't very popular among girls at school because of my relationship with Ezra, but he knew "the girls" would treat me with kindness and respect and camaraderie. They all seemed really glad I was awake. Ezra filled me in on the fact that them and their boyfriends (and Emily's girlfriend as it turns out) had been in the classroom during the shooting. Their visit was short. I didn't really know what to say to them since, in my reality, we weren't really close. I knew them, but I'm pretty sure Hanna spread the "rumor" about me dating Mr. Fitz and Spencer told me to stop having eye sex with our AP English teacher. Mostly they just talked about the few times we had hung out to try and jog my memory.

"This is very sweet guys, but I just don't remember…" I said softly. They looked at each other sadly, but I could tell they understood.

"That's okay, Aria. We will call you in a few days when you get out and maybe we could get lunch or something…" Hanna offered.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," I admitted. It seemed so normal. I desperately needed normal.

"The girls" left and I settled back into my bed. Just a few minutes later, Ezra entered with a stack of clothes.

"Hey Ar. How was the visit?" he asked, slipping into the bed with me. He knew I needed him with me. He was the only constant I felt between my realities. My parents understood that. They are even letting Ezra take me to a cabin our families used to vacation in. The Ella and Byron in _my _reality would never have let me go to a cabin with my boyfriend by ourselves. I guess there are some extenuating circumstances.

"It was good. A little weird. I feel bad that I can't remember them though…" I admitted.

Ezra leaned over and kissed my temple. I leaned into his strong body. My entire being ached with need for him; for his touch, his kiss, his presence. Even when he was here with me, like he is now, I never felt close enough to him. Part of it could be my libido. If my reality was just a dream then I had some pretty sexy dreams. From what I can gather from what Ezra has told me, not only have _we _not had sex, but I don't think _I've _had sex. There's never really a good time to bring this up, but I'm positive that while I'm still in the hospital is _not _the time.

"You'll get there, baby, you'll get there. Just don't push yourself," he asked, almost begged.

"Yeah. I can't wait until winter break next week. When are we leaving for the cabin again?" I asked.

"Christmas Day. We'll celebrate in the morning, then drive to the cabin in the afternoon," he explained. I sighed in contentment.

"Sounds perfect," I said dreamily.

One week with Ezra in a secluded cabin. Anything could happen.

* * *

I'd been home for a few days and, like clockwork, Hanna called as "the girls" had promised. They asked me out for lunch at Rosewood Grill then for a mani-pedi. I said sure. My nails could use some pampering. Hanna offered to pick me up around noon. I hung up the phone and snuggled into Ezra's chest.

"I'm having a girls day with 'the girls' today," I shared while tracing patterns on Ezra's bare chest. We were twill in our pajamas, Ezra in nothing but his boxers and me in my tank top (sans bra) and cotton boyshorts. My parents think we sleep separately, but what they don't know would probably kill them if they did. Ezra usually snuck in around 11 pm when everyone had gone to sleep.

"That's fun…" he said while absentmindedly playing with my hair.

"Not as fun as this…" I whispered as I pressed my lips to his neck. I rolled on top of him and straddled his toned body.

"_Definitely _not as fun as _this_," I whispered again wickedly as I continued to kiss his neck and nibble his ear. I could feel him getting hard beneath me with every suck and bite.

"Uhhhh… Aria…" he moaned.

"Yes?" I asked innocently as I started to grind down on him. I left him speechless.

"Aria?" we heard my mom call from the hallway as she loudly made her way to my room. I quickly rolled off of Ezra as he jumped off the bed and hid. I covered up my skimpy clothes with my quilt.

"Aria?" my mom repeated as she walked into my bedroom.

"Yeah?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as I could.

"I am going to the market. Is there anything you want to eat for lunch?" she asked.

"Oh! No thank you! I'm going to lunch with Hanna, Spencer, and Emily. Then we are going to the nail salon," I told her.

"Oh, okay. Ezra will drive you there and bring you back?" she clarified.

"Yup…" I answered, popping the 'P'.

"Okay…" Ella said suspiciously. "Why are you so flushed, honey?"

"Oh, um, it was hot last night. I don't really need my quilt."

"Well okay then. I'll see you later."

"See ya!" I said a little _too_ enthusiastically.

As soon as the door was closed and the clicking of Ella's heels had faded, Ezra appeared from behind the curtains.

"That was close…" Ezra whispered as he climbed on top of me.

"_Very _close. Kinda worth it though…" I groaned as Ezra began to suck at the skin where my shoulder met my neck. His hands trailed underneath my thin top, gently grazing the sides of my breasts, making my nipples hard.

"I have to shower…" I panted, not _really_ wanting this to end.

"If you insist…" Ezra whispered against my neck before giving me one last kiss on Th.e lips and peeling himself off my body.

"No! No! I don't insist!" I squeaked, pulling Ezra back to bed.

"I do. This day with the girls might jog your memory…" he said quietly.

"I don't think so. If anyone is going to jog my memory, it'll be you," I replied, tracing his beautiful features with my fingertips.

Ezra was quiet for a moment, as if contemplating some huge philosophical idea before saying, "I'm in love with you."

I was shocked into silence. He hand't said that to me since I woke up. He wold say 'I love you', but apparently he'd been saying that our whole lives. There was a huge difference between 'I love you' and 'I'm _in_ love with you'. I don't even know if he's said it to the me I had been before the accident. I know for a _fact_ that _my_ Ezra, Mr. Fitz, hand't said that to me, though I'm pretty sure he would've eventually.

"I know you don't remember what we had together in this reality and I don't know how you felt about me in your reality. But I am so in love with you and I wanted you to know," he rambled.

"Ezra," I stopped him.

"Yeah?" he said meekly.

"I'm in love with you, too. I was in love with the Ezra in my reality. I don't know a lot about what we were or who I was or you were before everything happened, but you've been wonderful to me and I am in love with you just for that. I know I must've been in love with you before because I know I'm in love with you now," I said breathlessly.

We looked into each other's eyes for only a moment before attacking each other's lips with a fierce need and wanton passion. Ezra leaned over me and I melted beneath his broad frame. This kiss didn't expect more or push to be something it wasn't. We knew the heat being passed between our lips was the passion we needed. Time stopped as our limbs tangled themselves with each other and we pressed our bodies ever closer. However, all good things must come to an end.

"OH. MY. GOD."

Ezra and I jumped apart, causing Ezra to roll onto the hardwood floors. I grabbed my quilt once more and pulled it over me to cover my slutty appearance.

"Hanna! Why didn't you knock?!" I squeaked.

"Oh sweetie, I did! Your mom said if you didn't answer to just go in because you'd probably be in the shower," Hanna laughed, trying to sneak a peek at Ezra in his boxers.

I threw a pillow in Hanna's general direction, missing completely, while she continues to revel in her 'good timing'. Hanna plopped herself at my desk and began snooping around my books and papers.

"Hanna?" I asked irritatedly.

"Yes?" she answered absentmindedly, not stopping her detective work.

"Do you _mind_?" I asked pointedly.

She looked over her shoulder nonchalantly and said, "Of course not!" before returning to her inspection of my notebooks.

I looked incredulously from her to Ezra, but he just chuckled and kissed me goodbye before doing the walk of shame back to the guest room in his boxers.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm. I'm a briefs kind of gal, but the things I would do to that man in his boxers," Hanna admitted.

"Hanna!" I squeaked.

"Yeah?" she asked as if that wasn't the most inappropriate thing she could've said at the moment.

I just looked at her before saying, "Never mind."

"Okay! You go get dressed. Ill just wait here in hopes I'll get another glimpse go Fitzy in those ducky boxers," she giggled.

I couldn't do anything but laugh at Hanna's crass behavior. If it hadn't involved my very sexy boyfriend, I would've found her to be funnier. I could see how we could've been friends.

"I'll just be a minute, Han."

"Take your time, love muffin!" she called back.

This could be a very long day.

**A/N:**

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